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PREFACE. 


HE  aim  of  the  Zigzag  books  is  to  awaken  an 
interest  in  the  history,  geography,  and  political 
condition  of  each  country  of  which  they  treat, 
by  means  of  a  narrative  of  supposed  travel,  that 
makes  a  visit  to  interesting  places  the  purpose 
of  the  young   travellers. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  light  narrative,  with  its  pictures,  legends, 
and  interpolated  stories,  may  awaken  an  interest  in  the  young 
mind  that  will  lead  to  the  reading  of  more  solid  books  on  the 
same  countries  and  topics,  as  maturer  years  follow  the  story-loving 
period  of  youth. 

H,   B. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.   A  Zigzag  Journey  in  New  France  (Canada) 15 

II.    A  Proposed  Journey    in  Search   of  the  Stories  and  Legends  of  New 

France 41 

III.  The  Zigzag  Club's  Songs  and  Stories 56 

IV.  Cardinal  Richelieu's  Dream  of  New  France 92 

V.    Charlie  Noble's  Concert 123 

VI.    For  St.  John i34 

VII.    Annapolis  (Port  Royal) '53 

VIII.   To  the  Land  of  Evangeline 176 

IX.    Halifax  and  Louisburg 189 

X.   Tales  of  the  St.  Lawrence 219 

XL    Quebec 238 

XII.    Montreal 273 

XIIL    Toronto 296 


% 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FACE 

Champlain  fighting  the  Indians      Frontispiece 

Henry  IV.  at  Ivry 17 

After-Dinner  Diversions 19 

Conde  at  the  Ford 21 

Indolence  of  Henry  III 23 

Guise  and  the  Corpse  of  Coligny  ...  25 

"  Do  not  lose  sight  of  my  white  plume  "  27 

Champlain 28 

The  Murder  of  Guise 29 

Habitation  at  Quebec 31 

Castle  of    St.  Germain   in  the  Reign  of 

Henry  IV 33 

Sully 36 

The  Castle  of  Monceaux t,"] 

Henry  IV 39 

James  II 43 

Storm  in  Ha  Ha  Bay 47 

A  Dangerous  Coast 49 

Old  Province  House 54 

"All  your  relations  will  die  before  you  "  57 

"  You  will  outlive  all  your  relations  "       .  58 

The  Throne  of  Glooscap 63 

Honi< 67 

"  I  saw  him  go  over  the  hill  "    ....  71 

"  He  never  returned  " 73 

"  Keep  your  seat !  " 81 

The  Isle  of  Demons 84 

Concini,  Leonora  Galigai,  and  Mary  de' 

Medici 93 

Louis  XIII.  and  Albert  de  Luynes    .     .  97 

Murder  of  Marshal  d'Ancre      ....  loi 

Louis  XIII ....  105 

Plantins:  the  Cross  in  New  Lands      .     .  108 


Cinq- Mars  and  De  Thou  going  to  Exe- 
cution    ....         

Jesuit  Missionary  addressing  the  Indians 

Castle  of  Fontainebleau 

The  King  and  Richelieu  at  La  Rochelle 

The  King  and  the  Cardinal 

John  Guiton's  Oath 

The  Juniata 

Fisherman's  House 

The  Lighthouse  on  Grand  Manan 

Indian  Beach,  Grand  Manan     ... 

Cruising  for  Porpoises 

Low  Tide,  St.  John  Harbor      .... 

D'Aulnay  introducing  Madame  de  la 
Tour  to  his  Wife 

Francis  I 

Village  Street  in  Annapolis 

Provincial  and  Picturesque 

Baptism  of  Indians  at  Port  Royal 

Champlain's  House  at  Port  Royal 

Queen  Anne 

Settlers  and  Indians  feasting  at  Quebec 

The  Princess  and  the  Giant      .... 

Grand  Vx€ 

A  Native 

Massacre  of  the  Indians  by  Order  of 
Church 

Evangeline 

Death  of  King  Piiilip 

The  Basin  of  Minas 

View  of  Halifax  Harbor 

George  I 

Burke 


109 
I II 

J'3 
117 
118 
119 
129 
>34 

^y:> 

137 
139 
141 

145 
149 

154 
•55 

^Sl 
158 

•59 
•63 
167 
•77 
180 

181 
184 
185 
187 
191 
•95 
•97 


12 


ILLUSTRA  TIONS. 


'•  See  what  a  little  place  you  occupy  in 

the  world  I  " 199 

\'ictoria 203 

Louis  XIV.  in  Old  kgo. 207 

Deacon  Moore's  House 210 

The  Old  Church  in  Cambridge     .     .     .  214 

A  Native 221 

Perce  Rock 222 

Common  Gull 223 

Cartier  ascending  the  St.  Lawrence  .     .  224 

The  Traditional  Phantom  of  Perce  Rock  227 

Lachine  Rapids,  St.  Lawrence.     .     .     .  229 

The  Mai  Baie  River  and  Lake      .     .     .  231 

The  Settlers  and  Indians  Merry-making  233 

\'iew  in  the  Tliousand  Islands       .      .      .  235 

Quebec 239 

Street  in  Quebec 243 

Jacques  Cartier 245 

Cathedral 246 

Market-place,  Quebec 247 

The  Promenade  at  Quebec 249 

Madame  de  Pompadour 251 


PACE 

Montcalm 256 

The  Plains  of  Abraham 257 

Death  of  Wolfe 259 

Caleche 261 

St.  Anne's  Church 263 

Custom  House,  Quebec 267 

Quebec 269 

Montreal 275 

Market-Place  of  Bonsecours    ....  279 

The  Bank  of  Montreal 281 

Cathedral  of  Montreal 283 

Montreal 286 

The  Wharves  of  Montreal 287 

Indians  of  the  North  , 290 

Indian  Warrior 291 

The  Indians  attacking  the  Settlers     .      .  293 
Thousand  Islands,  —  Entrance  to  Lake 

Ontario 297 

Parliament  Buildings,  Ottawa  ....  298 

Marie  Antoinette 305 

Louis  XVI 309 


^•Zlct-Z^cf^oVi^Nfey^' 


CHAPTER    I. 


A    ZIGZAG   JOURNEY    IN    NEW    FRANCE   (CANADA). 
Samuel  de  Champlain's  Wonderful  Story  at  the  Court  of  Fontainebleau. 

T  the  opening  of  the  Academy  of  Yule,  Master 
Lewis,  the  principal,  gave  the  Class  in  History  the 
Reigns  of  Henry  IV.,  Louis  XIIL,  and  Louis  XIV. 
of  France,  as  the  topic  of  study  for  the  term. 

"  This  period,"  he  said,  "  is  the  most  romantic 
of  France.  Henry  IV.  may  be  called  the  father 
of  religious  liberty.  The  Edict  of  Nantes,  like  the 
Magna  Charta,  was  one  of  the  greatest  events  in  the  history  of 
human  progress.  It  was  revoked  by  Louis  XIV.,  but  its  lesson 
and  influence  were  never  lost.  The  study  of  this  period  will  thrill 
you  with  the  Battle  of  Ivry,  and  give  you  a  view  of  the  dramatic 
statesmanship  of  Richelieu,  the  fall  of  Rochelle,  and  the  exile  of  the 
Huguenots." 

He  paused ;  but,  the  Class  giving  evidence  of  interest,  he  con- 
tinued :  "  This,  too,  was  the  French  period  of  discovery  ;  your  study 
will  make  you  acquainted  with  the  early  history  of  Canada,  or  '  New 
France.'      The  voyages   of  Champlain  are   a  romance  ;    Acadia  is   a 


I  6  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

story,  and  the  legends  of  the  St.  Lawrence  are  among  the  most 
poetic  of  our  country.  Read  Haliburton's  'Nova  Scotia;'  read  all 
of  Parkman  and  the  first  volumes  of  Bancroft ;  go  to  the  Boston 
Public  Library  some  holiday  afternoon,  and  examine  the  curious  maps 
and  pictures  in  the  '  Voyages  of  Champlain ; "  for  a  glowing  view 
of  P"rancc  during  the  period,  take  Guizot ;  for  poetry,  study  '  Evan- 
geline ;  "  for  local  works,  read  the  '  Chronicles  of  the  St.  Lawrence,' 
'  Maple  Leaves,'  and  '  Picturesque  Quebec,'  by  Le  Moine. 

"  You  will  find  stories  in  all  the  histories  of  this  period ;  and  they 
will  not  seem  time-worn,  but  new.  You  will  wonder  that  the  tales 
and  adventures  of  the  voyagers  between  the  old  ports  of  St.  Malo 
and  Rochelle  in  Old  France  and  the  new  ports  of  the  Isle  of  Or- 
leans, Quebec,  and  Port  Royal  in  New  France  should  have  found 
so  small  a  space  in  romance  and  poetry.  The  tales  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  are  as  pleasing  as  those  of  the  Rhine ;  and  if  the  le- 
£{cnds  of  the  river  are  less  wonderful  than  those  of  the  river  of 
song,  they  are  at  least  better  supported  by  facts.  I  anticipate 
that  your  lessons  will  be  more  like  pleasing  entertainments  than 
dr\-  tasks." 

Master  Lewis  understood  the  art  of  awakening  expectation. 
Every  successful  teacher  does.  He  sought  to  make  a  subject  so 
attractive  that  the  pupil  would  be  eager  to  understand  and  master  it. 
lie  took  down  the  six  volumes  of  Parkman  that  relate  especially 
to  Canada,  and  left  them  on  his  desk,  remarking  as  he  went 
out,  — 

"  Von  may  become  so  much  interested  in  the  study  of  New 
!•  ranee  as  to  wish  to  make  a  Zigzag  Journey  through  the  region  in 
search  of  the  associations  of  its  stories  and  legends." 

The  next  day  the  good  teacher  awakened  a  more  vivid  interest 
ill  the  subject  in  tlu;  minds  of  the  Class,  by  introducing  the  history 
lesson  by  a  story  that  jjresented  a  view  of  a  \ery  romantic  event 
of  history. 


HENRY    IV.    AT   IVKY. 


A   ZIGZAG   JOURNEY  IN  NEW  FRANCE   {CANADA). 


19 


AFTER-DINNER   DIVERSIONS. 


CHAMPLAIN'S    STORY   AT   FONTAINEBLEAU. 


Let  us  glance  at  the  history  of  F" ranee  at  the  time  of  the  early  settlement 
of  Canada. 

Gay  was  the  Court  of  France  during  the  last  days  of  Henry  IV.,  just 
before  the  tragedy.     What  tragedy  .-' 

I  see  that  you  ask  in  the  expression  of  your  faces.  I  will  tell  you  before 
I  leave  the  subject. 

A  cloud  was  hanging  over  the  glowing  days  of  which  I  shall  speak,  unseen, 
but  gathering  its  glooms  amid  the  splendors.     You  shall  hear. 

You  have  a  picture  of  Henry  IV.  already  in  your  mind.  You  are  all 
acquainted  with  Macaulay's  noble  ballad,  "The  Battle  of  Ivry,"  beginning 

"  Now  glory  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  from  wliom  all  glories  are  ; 
And  glory  to  our  sovereign  liege.  King  Henry  of  Navarre  !  " 

Henry  IV.,  surnamed  The  Great,  and  also  The  Good,  was  the  hero  of  this 
battle.  The  battle  won  for  Henry  his  disputed  throne  ;  in  my  view,  it  also  won 
for  the  world  religious  liberty. 

Henry  began  his  reign  as  a  Protestant  king  ;  he  became  a  Catholic  king : 
but  both  as  a  Protestant  and  a  Catholic  he  was  true  to  the  first  principles  of 


20  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

human  liberty,  —  to  the  equal  rights  of  all  good  people.  His  hand  issued  the 
Edict  of  Nantes,  granting  freedom  of  worship  to  every  soul.  A  hundred  years 
before  Roger  Williams  taught  the  principles  of  religious  liberty,  Henry  IV.  of 
France  and  Navarre  made  them  facts  of  history.  He  issued  the  Edict  of 
Nantes  after  he  became  a  Catholic.  He  was  one  of  the  noblest  souls  in  politics 
that  saw  the  light  of  France  before  the  Revolution.  So,  when  I  hear  one  of 
you  begin  your  declamation  with 

"  Now  glory  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  from  whom  all  glories  are, 
And  glory  to  our  sovereign  liege,  King  Henry  of  Navarre  !  " 

my  heart  enters  into  the  spirit  of  the  ballad,  and  I  pay  back  to  the  memory  of 
Henry  the  debt  of  gratitude  that  I  owe. 

Some  of  you  will  ask.  Was  not  the  Edict  of  Nantes  revoked  by  Louis  XIV., 
and  were  not  the  Protestants  exiled  from  France  .''  Yes,  it  was  revoked,  and 
the  Huguenots  were  dispersed  into  all  civilized  lands;  but  the  lesson  of  that 
grand  decree,  like  that  of  England's  Magna  Charta,  was  inspiration.  We  can 
trace  our  own  religious  liberty  to  it.     Its  light  was  obscured,  but  never  went  out. 

The  mother  of  Henry  was  a  Protestant.  She  had  a  heroic  soul,  and  she 
engaged  strong  men  for  his  instructors,  and  inured  him  to  the  knightly  habits 
and  the  rude  and  common  fare  of  the  Bernais  mountaineers. 

The  ballad  tells  you  of  Rochelle,  "  proud  city  of  the  waters."  From  its 
bright  harbor  the  ships  went  out  on  the  Bay  of  Biscay.  It  was,  in  the  times  of 
which  I  speak,  the  stronghold  of  Protestantism.  The  mother  of  Henry  one 
day  learned  that  a  plot  was  on  foot  to  steal  her  son,  take  him  to  Spain,  and 
educate  him  in  the  jirinciples  she  opposed.  She  hastened  to  Rochelle,  and 
thrilled  the  liberal  cause  by  presenting  the  prince  to  the  assembled  Protestant 
army. 

It  was  a  brilliant  scene.  Conde  and  Coligny,  the  great  Protestant  leaders, 
had  just  come  to  Rochelle,  making  as  it  were  a  providential  march.  Conde  had 
fled  from  his  castle,  taking  with  him  his  wife  and  child,  and  had  crossed  the 
Loire  by  a  ford,  singing,  "When  Israel  came  out  of  Egyi)l."  The  Protestant 
burgesses  flocked  to  Rochelle  ;  the  nobles,  the  (lower  of  the  Huguenot  cause. 

n.  was  annoiniced  that  the  Oiicen  of  Navarre  was  flying  towards  Rochelle 
with  her  son.  The  great  Conde  went  out  to  meet  her.  It  was  September. 
Conde  hailed  the  prince,  and  led  the  royal  jiarty  into  llie  city.  U  was  a  day  of 
Rochelle  in  her  glory.  Yet  the  life  of  nearly  every  one  who  engaged  in  that 
bright  scene  ended  in  a  tragedy.  Conde  fell  in  battle  ;  Coligny  was  killed  in 
the  Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  ;  and  tlie  Oueen  of  Navarre  is  supposed  to 


CONDE   AT   THE   FORD. 


A   ZIGZAG  JOURNEY  IN  NEW  FRANCE   {CANADA). 


23 


have  been  poisoned.  The  Protestant  nobles  were  murdered  on  the  night  of 
St.  Bartholomew,  and  Rochellc  itself,  during  the  reign  of  Louis  XIII.,  was 
levelled  to  the  ground. 

The  religious  wars  darkened  France.  The  Catholic  and  the  Huguenot 
were  bent  on  each  other's  destruction.  It  is  asserted  that  at  the  Massacre  of 
St.  Bartholomew  sixty  thousand  people  were  murdered.  The  streets  of  Paris 
had  run  with  blood  as  with  the  torrents  of  rain  that  fell  in  the  tempest.     The 


INDOLENCE    OF    HENRY   lU. 


reign  of  the  dissolute  and  indolent  Henry  III.  followed.  The  Duke  of  Guise, 
an  intense  Catholic  partisan,  was  his  enemy.  The  Catholic  party  headed  by 
Guise  formed  the  famous  Holy  League,  an  organized  opposition  to  Protestantism. 
The  one  desire  of  Henry's  heart  became  the  destruction  of  Guise. 

When  Coligny  was  murdered  at  the  Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  his  body 
was  thrown  from  the  window  of  his  room  into  the  street,  and  it  is  said  that  the 
Duke  of  Guise  kicked  it  in  the  face.  He  at  least  gloated  in  brutal  triumph 
over  the  dead  body  of  his  aged  rival.  Henry  III.  plotted  the  death  of  Guise, 
and  at  last  got  an  assassin  to  accomplish  it.  Guise  was  murdered  in  the  royal 
palace,  to  which  he  had  been  summoned.  The  king  triumphed  over  the  sight 
of  his  corpse,  as  Guise  had  done  over  that  of  Coligny.     Dark  days  were  these. 


24  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  I  am  sole  king  now,"  he  said  to  his  ministers. 

To  the  queen  mother,  who  was  ill,  he  said, — 

"  How  do  you  feel  ?  " 

"Better." 

"  So  do  I.  I  feel  much  better.  This  morning  I  have  become  King  of 
France  again." 

"  You  have  had  the  Duke  of  Guise  killed  then } "  asked  the  invalid. 

"  Yes." 

"  Have  you  reflected  well  ?  I  hope  the  cutting  is  right.  Now  for  the 
sewing." 

His  triumph  was  short. 

The  Duke  of  Mayenne,  the  brother  of  Guise,  became  the  leader  of  the 
League. 

In  August,  1509,  he  was  told  that  a  monk  desired  to  speak  with  him. 

"Let  him  in,"  said  the  king;  "if  he  is  refused,  it  will  be  said  that  I  drive 
monks  away  and  will  not  see  them." 

The  monk  entered,  having  in  his  sleeve  an  unsheathed  knife.  He  bowed  to 
the  king,  and  presented  him  despatches. 

"  May  I  speak  with  you  in  private  ?  "  he  asked. 

The  king  ordered  his  attendants  to  retire. 

The  monk  approached  the  king,  and  suddenly  drove  the  knife  into  his  body 
and  left  it  there. 

"  He  has  killed  me,"  said  the  king,  drawing  out  the  knife  ;  "kill  him  !  " 

The  monk  stretched  out  his  two  arms  against  the  wall  in  the  form  of  a 
crucifix,  and  in  this  attitude  received  his  death-blow. 

The  red  war  between  the  Catholics  and  Calvinists  went  on.  Tragedy  suc- 
ceeded tragedy.  Henry  IV.  was  now  heir  to  the  throne,  but  his  succession  was 
opposed  by  the  Catholic  nc^bles. 

The  King  of  Navarre  and  Mayenne  now  ejigaged  in  a  deadly  struggle  for 
the  royal  power. 

In  the  spring  of  1590  Henry  triumphed  over  Mayenne  and  the  League  at 
Ivry,  on  the  banks  of  the  luire. 

"Their  white  standard  is  in  my  hands,"  .said  Henry,  after  the  battle.  "It 
is  a  miraculous  work  of  God.     To  him  alone  is  the  glory!" 

Henry  had  rushcfl  into  the  battle  like  an  inspired  hero. 

"Soldiers,"  he  said.  "1  will  conquer  or  die.  If  your  standards  fall,  do  not 
lose  sight  of  my  white  plume.  Y(ju  will  always  find  it  in  tl^'-  Duth  of  honor, 
and  I  hope  of  victory  !  " 


GUISE   AND   THE    CORPSE   OF   COLIGXY. 


A  ZIGZAG  JOURNEY  IN  NEW  FRANCE   {CANADA).  27 

In  July,  1593,  Henry  repaired  in  great  pomp  to  the  church  of  St.  Denis. 
For  state  reasons  he  had  determined  to  become  a  CathoHc,  and  yet  to  protect 
the  Protestant  cause. 

"Who  are  you.-*"  asked  the  archbishop,  as  he  approached  the  door  of  the 
abbey. 

"  The  king." 

"  What  want  you  .''  " 

"  To  be  received  into  the  bosom  of  the  Catholic  Church." 

The  archbishop  gave  him  his  benediction,  and  the  vaulted  roofs  rang  with 
the  shout,  "  Long  live  the  King  !  " 


DO   NOT    LOSE   SIGHT   OF   MY   WHITE   PLUME. 


He  issued  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  giving  to  all  men  alike  liberty  of  worship. 
The  wave  of  war  receded,  factions  lost  their  force,  and  France  again  was  happy 
and  at  peace.  Absolution  was  given  the  king  by  the  Pope,  and  a  week  after 
the  king  and  the  Duke  of  Mayenne  became  friends. 

Henry  now  had  liberty  to  enjoy  his  beautiful  palaces.  One  of  these  was  at 
Monceaux,  another  at  St.  Germain,  and  a  favorite  one  at  Fontainebleau. 

Peace  was  made  with  Spain.  Sully,  a  most  wise  and  prudent  minister,  was 
given  the  control  of  finance,  and  navigators  were  sent  over  the  sea  to  plant  the 
Cross  and  the  Lilies  of  France  in  the  newly  discovered  lands. 

Charming  was  the  court  at  Fontainebleau  in  these  golden-tided  days ;  fully 


28 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


as  delightful  as  the  peaceful  court  of  Elizabeth  over  the  Channel.  It  was  en- 
livened with  romances,  music,  and  tales  of  valor.  Courtly  men  and  women,  men 
of  genius,  discoverers,  adventurers,  strangers,  all  found  a  ready  welcome  to  the 
large  hospitalities  of  Henry. 

Among  those  who  visited  the  gay  court  at  Fontainebleau  was  a  mail-clad 
voyager  of  St.  Malo,  who  had  just  returned  from  America.  He  brought  with 
him  the  head  of  an  Iroquois  Indian,  which  excited  great  curiosity,  and  pre- 
sented to  the  king  a  belt 
of  quills  of  the  Canadian 
porcupine,  and  two  scarlet 
birds,  and  the  skull  of  a 
gar  fish. 

The  weather-beaten 
sailor  and  explorer  had 
come  from  the  St.  Law- 
rence, where  he  had 
founded  a  city  and  an 
empire. 

There  had  been  a  ban- 
quet at  Fontainebleau. 
Champlain  had  been  a 
guest. 

"  Relate  to  us  the  tale 
of  your  adventures,"  said 
the  king. 

The  court  gathered 
around  the  dusky  hero, 
who  seemed  to  the  nobles 
and  ladies  like  one  who 
had  returned  from  a  fabu- 
lous world.  The  head  oi 
the  dead  Iroquois  had 
filled  every  one  with  a  .sense  ol  fear  and  awe  ;  and  silence  fell  upon  the  assembly 
as  the  voyager  arose  and  l)ent  low  before  the  king. 

After  a  study  of  his  own  narrative  I  think  his  story  must  have  been  nearly  as 
follows  :  — 

"May  it  please  your  Majesty,"  said   he,  "  to  listen  to  me   for  an   hour,  1  will 
speak  of  the  peo])le  I  have  met  in  the  Empire  of  the  West.     You  have  received 


t./^O/jj  ^  T 


f  IIAMri.AIN". 


THE   MURDER   OF   GUISE. 


A   ZIGZAG   JOURNEY  IN  NEW  FRANCE   {CANADA). 


31 


my  reports  of  the  River  St.  Lawrence.  Such  a  river  no  eye  in  Europe  ever 
sees.  The  sun  descends  into  the  sea  of  glass,  and  seems  to  remain  there  like 
a  golden  island,  while  the  sky  glows  like  a  crimson  paviHon,  and  the  birds  wheel 
in  dead  silence  through  the  dusky  air.     Nature  at  that  awful  hour  seems  still. 


Q'^ir77/.i/^  (C^.^/r^/f/c^/ff.^a/ 


~/^/^J}f/^Ac'yil/.    '^^e.   ^rrr    /!{ 


HABITATION    AT   QUEBEC. 


"  You  know  of  the  city  I  have  founded,  and  called  Quebec.  It  is  at  the 
foot  of  a  rocky  eminence,  and  by  it  flows  the  majestic  river.  The  banks  of 
the  river  are  eternally  green  with  pine.  Lofty  mountains  rise  near  the  city  ; 
grand  waterfalls  and  gloomy  rivers.  The  place  seems  a  fit  abode  for  gods 
rather  than  men.  I  have  planted  an  altar  to  the  true  God  there,  to  whom  be 
glory  forever  I 


32  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  Beautiful  is  May  in  that  region.  Flowers  fill  the  snows,  and  the  ice  goes 
drifting  out  of  the  river.     The  pines  are  full  of  the  songs  of  birds. 

"  Last  May,  I  made  an  expedition  up  this  glorious  river.  I  and  my  com- 
panions were  clad  in  armor.     We  presently  came  to  an  Indian  village. 

"The  Indians  looked  upon  us  with  astonishment.  They  seemed  to  think 
that  we  were  divinities.  I  asked  for  their  chief.  He  was  sent  for,  and  when  he 
came,  he  made  for  us  a  feast. 

"  I  invited  the  chief  and  his  warriors  to  Quebec.  They  came.  I  made  a 
feast  for  them  there. 

"Amid  the  festivities  I  caused  an  arquebuse  and  a  cannon  to  be  fired. 
They  seemed  to  think  that  the  reports  were  thunder  peals,  and  to  believe  that 
we  controlled  the  elements. 

"The  Indians  had  told  me  of  a  wonderful  lake  in  the  far  forests.  It  was 
said  to  be  surrounded  with  mountains,  and  as  beautiful  as  Paradise.  They 
wished  to  conduct  me  there. 

" '  We  have  enemies  there,'  said  the  old  chief.  '  Go  fight  for  us  with  your 
weapons  of  thunder.' 

"  I  promised  to  go.  I  well  knew  that  the  explosion  of  an  arquebuse  would 
terrify  the  hearts  of  their  bravest  enemies. 

"We  set  out  in  shallops  and  canoes.  It  was  June.  We  passed  silent 
mountains  that  towered  like  giants  in  the  serene  and  resplendent  air. 

"  The  old  chief  gloated  in  the  hope  of  triumph  and  revenge. 

"'  Ugh,  ugh  !  What  will  the  Iroquois  do  when  he  hears  that  ?'  pointing  to 
an  arquebuse.  '  Thunder  !  thunder  !  He  run,  run  ;  then  all  the  great  land  will 
be  mine,  the  land  of  the  great  seas  as  large  as  the  sky ! ' 

"  We  came  to  foaming  rapids.  The  Indians  had  told  me  that  the  route 
would  lie  over  clear  water.  I  sent  back  our  shallops  and  most  of  my  men  to 
Quebec  ;  then  went  on  with  two  comj^anions,  following  the  Indian  warriors 
as  they  dragged  overland  their  canoes. 

"On,  on  wc  went,  —  three  French  champions  to  contend  against  the  war- 
riors of  a  great  nation. 

"'Never  fear,'  said  the  chiefs.  'Algonquin  no  fear.  Iroquois  will  run, 
run.  when  he  hears  the  thunder.' 

"  On,  on  over  marshes,  meadows,  and  streams  ;  through  forests  over  which 
the  air  seemed  to  burn  in  unchanging  splendor.  The  way  was  often  tangled 
with  flowers.     Birds  flew  from  the  thickets  ;  eagles  screamed  overhead. 

"  Sixty  painted  warriors  carried  twenty-four  canoes.  Wc  marched  in  silence. 
At  night  the  medicine-men  consulted  the  spirits. 


A    ZIGZAG   JOURXEY  IN  NEW  FRANCE   {CANADA).  35 

"  Again  upon  the  water,  our  canoes  glided  onward  in  silence.  The  river 
broadened.  Islands  appeared.  I  entered  a  lake,  full  of  islands  covered  with 
trees.  It  was  like  a  wilderness  in  the  sea,  a  magnificence  of  water !  How 
glorious  it  looked  upon  that  summer  day,  as  it  glowed  under  the  calm  sky  ! 
The  Indians  had  not  deceived  me.  I  myself  would  have  compared  it  to  a  lake 
of  Paradise.  What  islands,  what  mountains,  what  transparency  of  air,  what 
tranquillity  of  waters  !  It  was  margined  with  little  pines  and  lilies.  Great 
pines  and  oaks. towered  above  it  on  its  banks  and  near  hills.  Everywhere 
were  birds. 

"  We  travelled  by  night  and  slept  days,  that  we  might  not  be  seen  by  the 
Iroquois.  On  the  29th  of  July,  after  paddling  our  canoes  all  night,  I  lay 
down  to  sleep  on  some  spruce  boughs.  I  dreamed.  I  saw  the  Iroquois  in  my 
dream.  They  were  drowning  in  the  beautiful  lake.  I  hastened  to  rescue  them, 
when  some  strange  Algonquin  Indians  appeared  to  me.  '  Do  not  touch  them,' 
they  cried,  'they  are  of  no  account  ;  leave  them  to  their  destiny.' 

"  When  I  awoke,  I  related  my  dream.  The  Indians  declared  it  a  revelation 
from  the  Great  Spirit,  and  were  filled  with  hope  and  joy. 

"  '  The  Iroquois  cannot  stand  before  thunder^  said  the  chiefs.  '  The  Iroquois 
will  scoot,  scoot,  run  like  the  deer,  fly  like  the  partridge,  when  he  hears  the  white 
man's  thunder ! ' 

"The  next  night,  as  v/e  moved  on  our  journey,  we  discovered  dark  objects 
gliding  along  the  waters.  They  were  canoes.  As  we  drew  nearer  we  saw  that 
they  were  filled  with  Iroquois.  The  near  boatmen  discovered  us,  and  sent  up 
a  warning  cry.  It  was  answered  from  boat  to  boat;  and  so  fierce  were  the  cries 
that  the  lake  seemed  filled  with  demons. 

"The  Iroquois  hurried  to  the  shore  and  began  to  erect  a  barricade.  The 
noise  of  axes  rung  through  the  night.  An  army  was  gathering.  We  knew 
that  there  would  be  a  battle  in  the  morning. 

"Towards  morning  I  put  on  my  armor  and  made  ready  my  ammunition, 
then  hid  myself  in  my  canoe.  My  French  companions  did  the  same.  The 
Iroquois  had  no  suspicion  that  such  champions  were  among  the  enemy. 

"  In  the  morning,  as  the  light  came  breaking  through  the  mists  of  the 
summer  lake,  we  landed  at  some  distance  from  the  barricade  that  the  Iroquois 
had  built.  We  had  but  touched  the  shore  when  we  beheld  the  Iroquois  war- 
riors, led  by  plumed  chiefs,  marching  out  to  meet  us.  They  were  tall  men,  and 
were  covered  with  a  kind  of  armor  made  of  hardened  twigs.  They  greatly  out- 
numbered our  warriors,  and  they  marched  with  a  proud  step,  like  Goliath  to 
meet  David. 


ZIGZAG  yOURXEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


s'      ^. 


>    \ 


,._^'^ 


sur-i.Y. 


*'  Our  party  surrounded 
me  and  my  two  companions, 
so  that  we  might  not  be  seen. 
As  the  Iroquois  came  within 
shooting  distance,  the  braves 
opened  their  ranks  and  left 
us  standing  in  full  view  of 
the  Iroquois  chiefs. 

"  I  advanced.  The  Iro- 
quois halted.  They  gazed 
upon  me  with  surprise  and 
wonder.  They  seemed  not 
to  comprehend  what  I  was, 
whether  a  man,  beast,  or  a 
god.  They  stood  in  utter 
silence. 

"  I  raised  my  arquebuse. 
The  movement  seemed  to 
surprise  them  still  more. 
I  levelled  it.  There  was  a 
flash  and  a  ringing  report. 
The  smoke  cleared  ;  and  I 
saw  an  Iroquois  warrior  lying 
dead. 

"  Our  party  sent  up  a  cry 
of  triumph,  and  filled  the  air 
with  arrows.  The  Iroquois 
stood  still.  They  seemed 
riveted  to  the  ground  with 
amazement  at  the  report  of 
the  arquebuse. 

"  I  raised  the  weapon 
again.  There  was  another 
report.  .Another  warrior 
fell  ;  and  as  he  tumbled  over, 
the  Iroquois  broke  their 
ranks,  and  with  Hying  leaps 
scattered   in   every  direction. 


A    ZIGZAG   JOURNEY  IN  NEW  FRANCE   {CANADA). 


39 


I  never  saw  men  run 
like  these  Iroquois  ;  they 
seemed   to  vanish. 

"  Our  Indians  pursued 
them,  uttering  terrific 
screams.  The  Iroquois  left 
behind  them  their  camp, 
canoes,  and  provisions. 
Our  victory  was  complete. 
We  returned  to  Quebec, 
bringing  the  heads  of  three 
Iroquois  warriors. 

"  One  of  these  I  have 
brought  to  your  Majesty. 
I  assure  you  it  is  the  head 
of  as  stately  a  warrior  as 
ever  strode  through  the 
forest.  The  Iroquois  did 
not  run  because  they 
thought  to  save  their  lives, 
but  because  they  believed 
that  they  were  contending 
with  supernatural  beings." 
Such  was  substantially 
one  of  the  narratives  of 
Samuel  de  Cham  plain  at 
Fontainebleau. 

These  narratives  de- 
lighted the  King.  He  had 
the  voyager  relate  to  him 
all  of  his  adventures  in  the 
New  World.  The  wonders 
of  New  France  filled  his 
dreams  in  his  last  happy 
days.  For  they  were  his  last. 
He  was  fifty-six  years  of 
age.  There  came  upon  him 
a  presentiment  that  he  was 
about  to  be  assassinated. 


HENRY   IV. 


40  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  My  friend,"  he  said  to  Sully,  his  faithful  minister  of  finance,  "  I  know  not 
what  it  means,  but  my  heart  tells  me  that  something  is  about  to  happen  to  me. 
I  shall  die  in  this  city.     I  have  been  told  that  I  shall  die  in  my  carriage." 

On  May  14,  1610,  the  king  set  out  in  his  carriage  for  the  arsenal,  to  visit 
Sully,  who  was  ill.  He  had  been  to  Mass,  and  on  his  return  from  the  church 
had  addressed  to  two  nobles  these  remarkable  words  :  — 

"You  do  not  understand  me  now,  you  and  the  rest.  I  shall  die  ;  and  when 
you  have  lost  me,  you  will  know  my  worth,  and  the  difference  there  is  between 
me  and  other  kings." 

"  Die  .'^  "  said  Bassompierre,  one  of  the  nobles.  "  You  will  live  years.  You 
are  in  the  flower  of  your  age,  full  of  strength.  You  have  more  honors  than  any 
mortal  man.  You  live  in  the  most  flourishing  kingdom  in  the  world.  You 
have  a  fine  family  ;  you  are  loved  and  adored  by  your  subjects." 

"  My  friend,"  said  the  king,  sadly,  "  I  must  leave  them  all." 

That  day,  on  his  way  toward  the  arsenal,  he  was  stricken  down  by  an 
assassin.  He  received  the  mortal  wound  in  his  carriage,  while  conversing  with 
two  friends.  He  was  taken  to  the  Louvre,  and  there,  without  a  farewell  word, 
the  pacificator  of  Europe  and  the  author  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  died.  France 
never  wept  over  any  man  as  over  the  bier  of  Henry  IV. 

I  have  opened  to  you  the  door  to  the  history  of  Canada,  or,  as  it  was  called, 
New  France.  I  have  said  enough  to  show  you  that  the  Court  of  Old  France 
had  turned  its  eyes  toward  the  New  World.  An  era  of  French  discovery  and 
conquest  was  at  hand.  The  old  sea-kings  of  St.  Malo  and  the  courtly  knights 
of  Normandy  were  asking  for  ships.  America  was  the  land  of  mystery.  What 
treasures  for  the  enrichment  of  the  French  crown  might  it  contain  !  what 
triumphs  for  the  Church  ! 

Great  was  the  expectation.  The  Fleur-de-lis  and  the  Cross  were  ready  to 
march  to  the  empire  of  the  West.  The  stories  of  Champlain  flew  through  the 
provinces.  The  dream  of  a  new  dominion  for  France  glowed  in  the  minds  of 
the  nobles  and  the  people.  Richelieu,  tlic  all-powerful,  was  about  to  bend 
I'Vance  and  I'>uro]-)e  to  his  will,  and  to  aspire  to  colonize  that  yet  unmapped 
lanrl,  the  story  of  whose  wonders  was  thrilling  the  world.     So  began  Canada. 


CHAPTER    11. 

A    PROPOSED   JOURNEY    IN    SEARCH   OF   THE    STORIES   AND    LEGENDS 

OF   NEW   FRANCE. 

The  Story  of  the  Golden  Ship,  axd  the  Fair  Brick  House  in  Green  Lane, 

Boston. 


HE  story  of  Champlain's  narrative  at  the  Court  of 
Henry  IV.  served  the  purpose  for  which  it  was 
intended.  It  interested  the  History  Class  in  the 
further  adventures  of  the  great  explorer. 

"  Was  the  story  a  true  one  ?  "  asked  Charlie 
Leland  of  Master  Lewis  the  next  day  in  the  study. 
"  Substantially,"  said  Master  Lewis.  "  It  had  a  framework  of 
fiction.  The  incidents  of  the  king  and  his  Court  are  true.  I 
followed  Guizot.  Champlain  had  an  interview  with  Henry  IV.  on 
his  return  to  France  after  his  first  great  expedition,  and  related  to 
the  king  and  the  Court  his  exploits.  I  do  not  know  his  exact 
language  ;  but  I  gave  the  story  much  as  I  found  it  in  Champlain's 
written  narrative  of  his  voyage  in  some  of  the  choicest  volumes 
of  the  Boston  Public  Library,  —  the  same  source  from  which  I 
suppose  Parkman  in  part  gathered  his  material  for  the  "  Pioneers 
of  France  in  the  New  World."  One  of  these  books  is  an  Ens^lish 
translation  of  Champlain's  voyages,  published  by  the  Prince  Society, 
of  which  there  are  but  one  hundred  and  fifty  copies.  Another  is 
the  official  report  of  the  early  voyagers  to  their  sovereigns  and 
patrons,  —  a  so-called   G  book,  which  is  not  allowed  to  be  consulted 


42  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

except  in  the  Superintendent's  department.  You  will  find  all  of  the 
important  and  essential  facts  in  Parkman.  So  you  may  see  that 
the  story  as  I  prepared  and  framed  it  was  conscientiously  done." 

"  There  will  be  no  European  tour  by  members  of  the  Academy 
next  summer?"    said  Charlie. 

"  Probably  not." 

"  Why  could  not  the  History  Class  make  a  journey  to  Acadia, 
the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  Lakes }  We  should  be  prepared  for  it 
after  studying  the  history  of  New  France." 

"'The  St.  Lawrence,"  said  Master  Lewis,  "presents  to  the  eye 
the  finest  river  scenery  in  America,  and  perhaps  in  the  world.  The 
Rhine  is  an  infant  in  size  to  this  giant  water-course ;  but  in  the  ro- 
mance and  antiquity  of  its  legends  and  history  the  German  stream 
surpasses  the  rivers  of  the  world.  The  Hudson  is  less  beautifijl 
than    the   St.   Lawrence,  and  the   Mississippi  less  grand. 

"  The  St.  Lawrence  is  not  only  magnificent  in  its  geographical 
proportions  and  its  lofty  scenery ;  but  the  most  romantic  stories  and 
legends  of  America  are  associated  with  its  shores,  tributaries,  and 
lakes.  The  romances  of  the  Indian  races  are  found  there.  The 
P'rench  period  of  Canada  was  the  most  poetic  of  American  history. 
Samuel  de  Champlain  was  probably  the  most  chivalrous  Christian 
hero  that  ever  set  foot  on  our  shores.  Every  town  on  the  St. 
Lawrence  has  its  provincial  legends  and  stories.  These  are  to  be 
found  in  local  histories,  but  are  otherwise  but  little  known. 

"  If  the  Class  could  make  a  journey  to  Acadia,  the  St.  Lawrence, 
and  the  Lakes  for  the  jjiirpose  of  collecting  llie  stories  and  legends 
of  the  j)ast,  it  would  be-  likely  to  prove  one  of  the  most  interesting 
tours  that  could  be  made;  in  America  in  summer.  It  need  not  be 
an  expensive  one,  considering  that  the  excursion  by  water  fi-om 
Pictou  to  Montreal  would  cover  a  distance  of  more  than  a  thousand 
miles.  I  think  that  the  excursion  fares  would  not  greatly  exceed 
one  hundred  dollars." 


JAMES   II. 


A    PROPOSED  JOURNEY. 


45 


"  What   would    be    the    best    route,    if   sucli    a   journey    could    be 
undertaken  ?  "  asked  Charlie. 

"  An  historic  route,  of  course. 
Well,  Boston,  St.  John,  Annap- 
olis, Wolfville,  and  the  "  Land 
of  Evangeline,"  Halifax,  Cape 
Breton  and  Louisburg,  Gaspe, 
the  River  St.  Lawrence,  Que- 
bec, M  o  n- 


treal.     Lake 

Champlain, 

Boston  ;    or,  ■*■ 

better,   from 

Montreal   to 

Toronto,  the 

Thousand  Islands,  Niagara,  Lake  Huron, 

Lake   Superior,  to  Duluth ;    thence  over 

the  route  of  Marquette  to  the  Mississippi ; 

thence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

"  If    the    shorter    route   were    taken," 
added  Master    Lewis,  "  you  could  make 
a  detour  from    Montreal   to  Ottawa,  the 
Georgian   Bay,    and  the  Canadian  lakes, 
—  places    of    his- 
toric   interest    in 
the  settlement  of 
New    France.     If 
the  Class   to   col- 
legends  of  Canada, 
probably        make 

of   the    history   of   that    country    and    of    France    and    England.       It 
would   bring   before    you   old    Port   Royal,  idyllic    Acadia,   the    New- 


it  were  the  purpose  of 
iect  the  stories  and 
the  pleasing  tour  would 
you  familiar  with  much 


46  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

found-land  of  the  old  French  voyagers,  and  Pictou,  the  industrious 
town  of  the  great  coal-mining  region  of  Nova  Scotia,  with  its  lovely 
harbor,  one  thousand  and  fifty  miles  from  Quebec.  And  here  your 
excursion  through  the  Maritime  Provinces  of  the  British  Dominion 
would  begin,  —  an  excursion  through  some  fifteen  hundred  miles  of 
water  ways,  whose  shores  are  mountains,  and  whose  villages  are  as 
romantic  as  was  Grand  Pre  in  vanished  Acadia.  You  would  proba- 
bly take,  first,  one  of  the  Quebec  Steamship  Company's  steamers 
which  runs  between  Pictou  and  Montreal.  The  fare  for  this  excur- 
sion of  one  thousand  miles  would  be  only  about  thirty  dollars. 

"  On  your  way  you  would  see  Perce,  which  derives  its  name  from 
the  pierced  rock  in  front  of  it,  and  which  is  as  romantic  in  legends 
as  any  rock  on  the  Rhine. 

"You  might  visit  Gaspe,  where  Jacques  Cartier  landed  in  1534, 
and  whose  early  history  is  as  poetic  as  its  name. 

"  Massacre  Island,  the  scene  of  a  most  tragic  event. 
"  Rimouski,  two  hundred  miles  from  Quebec,  where  steamers  bound 
for  Europe  leave  their  pilots  and  take  on  board  the  latest  mails. 

"  The  Saguenay  to  Ha  Ha  Bay,  a  river  as  gloomy  as  the  fabled 
Styx ;  a  cavern  rather  than  a  river,  dark  from  mountains  of  rock 
that  overshadow  it ;  startling  and  oppressive  to-day  as  it  was  when 
Champlain  first  saw  it  and  described  it. 

"  The  island  of  Orleans,  which  would  fill  a  book  with  its  old 
romances. 

"Quebec,  which  in  the  French  provincial  days  had  a  highly 
dramatic  history;  Point  Levi  and  the  Falls  of  Montmorency,  near  the 
town,  both  of  which  are  as  interesting  historically;  and  the  St.  Law- 
rence between  Quebec  and  Montreal,  which  is  more  beautiful  even 
than  the  Rhine,  the  Danube,  or  the  Hudson.  I  could  imagine  nothing 
more  delightful  than  an  excursion  through  this  region  for  the  purpose 
of  collecting  the  stories  and  legends  of  Acadia  and  New  France." 

The   History  Class  consisted  of  six   bright   lads:    Herman    Reed, 


A     PROPOSED  JOURNF.V 


47 


Willie  Clifton,  Louis  Robertson,  Charlie  No- 
ble, Otto  Griffiths,  and  Charlie  Leland.  Of 
these,  Herman  Reed  and  Willie  Clifton  have 
figured  in  previous  volumes,  and  Charlie  Le- 
land has  before  been  introduced.  Louis  Rob- 
ertson was  a  favorite  in  the  Class ;  always 
quiet  and  courteous,  but  perfectly  natural  and  sincere.  He  had 
heart  as  well  as  intellectual  worth ;  everybody  was  won  by  him, 
and  seemed  to  wish  to  know  him  and  welcome  him,  because  there 
was   a    certain    quiet    and    courtly   sympathy    about    him,    a    pleasinp- 


48  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

responsiveness  that  gave  bis  presence  a  peculiar  charm.  Noble  was 
his  opposite  in  many  respects ;  of  good  habits,  but  inquisitive,  a  lover 
of  good  jokes  and  comical  situations,  a  popular  boy  with  a  nature 
full  of  fun.  People  who  played  parts  in  life  were  all  clowns  to  him, 
and  he  liked  to  ask  questions  that  revealed  to  them  their  ignorance 
and  weakness.  A  dude  would  have  regarded  him  as  a  dreadful  boy. 
Master  Lewis  liked  him  for  his  good  sense  when  his  judgment  was 
put  to  the  test,  although  he  was  often  annoyed  by  certain  roguish 
questions  that  he  asked  merely  to  show  his  good  teacher  how  limited 
are  human  knowledge  and  reason. 

Charlie  Leland  reported  to  the  Class  the  questions  that  he  had 
asked  Master  Lewis,  and  the  teacher's  answers.  The  subject  of  an 
excursion  through  the  territory  that  once  constituted  New  France, 
and  embraced  the  eastern  coast  of  the  Atlantic,  the  St.  Lawrence, 
and  the  Mississippi  was  discussed,  and  the  purpose  of  the  journey 
which  Master  Lewis  had  suggested,  to  gain  a  knowledge  of  and  to 
collect  the  stories  and  legends  of  New  France  in  America,  at  once 
awakened  a  peculiar  interest  in  the  proposed  route  and  the  associa- 
tions of  its  history.  The  objection  to  the  plan  was  that  three  of 
the  boys  would  not  be  al^le  to  meet  the  expenses  of  such  a  journey. 

"  That  ought  to  be  no  objection,"  said  Charlie  Noble.  ''  We  can 
help  eacli   other." 

"  How  .-*  "  asked  Louis  Robertson,  thoughtfully. 

"We  can  give  an  exhibition,"  said  Noble;  "and  those  who  have 
money  for  the  excursion  can  gi\-e  their  part  of  the  j)rofits  to  those 
who  have  not.  You,  Robertson,  can  sing;  1  '11  take  the  comic  parts, 
and  we  all  have  talent  of  some  kind  or  other.  It  is  always  easy  to 
get  money  if  one  knows  how.  That  's  what  father  says,  and  I  think 
lie  knows  liow,  as  lie  began  life  by  sawing  wood  and  now  lives  on 
Commonwealth  Avenue.  I  told  father  one  day  that  our  coat  of  arms 
ought  to  be  a  saw-horse.  lie  smiled,  iMit  did  not  make  any  answer. 
I   re])eated  the  remark  to  mother  in  company,  and  she  did  not  smile. 


A   PROPOSED   JOURNEY. 

but  gave  me  leave  of  absence  and  a 

o 

cold  reception  and  supper  on  my 
return." 

"  There  are  few  people  who  know 
how,"  said  Louis. 

"  It  is  easy  enough,"  replied  Noble., 


49 


M 


A    DANGEROUS   COAST. 


with    a    droll    smile    on     his 
freckled  face.      For  example,  if  you 

4 


-O  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

want  to  make  money  out  of  an  exliibition,  you  have  just  to  give  the 
people  such  an  exhibition  as  the  people  want.  They  have  their 
wants,  and  you  have  yours,  you  see. 

"You  see,"  he  added,  "it  is  just  like  this,  —  it  is  easy  enough  to 
fill  a  want  if  you  know  what  and  where  the  want  is.  Now  the 
world  is  full  of  wise  people  and  fools.  The  wise  people  have  tlie 
genius  to  see  where  the  wants  are,  and  they  simply  make  money  by 
filling  them ;  the  fools  think  they  know  what  the  wants  are,  but 
when  they  go  to  supply  them  they  are  not  there.  An  exhibition 
that  would  please  everybody  would  get  everybody's  money." 

"  Suppose  you  propose  such  an  exhibition,"  said   Louis. 

"  Well,  let  us  open  our  eyes.  I  think  that  there  is  a  great  deal 
to  be  gained  in  this  world  by  keeping  one's  eyes  wide  open.  Father 
keeps  his  eyes  open,  and  yet  he  says  that  he  has  not  a  dollar  that 
he  has  not  made  honestly,  and  that  without  injuring  any  one's  honest 
business  or  trade. 

"  Look  at  the  War  Song  Concert  in  the  city  at  the  Mechanics' 
Building.  There  were  eight  thousand  people  present.  At  the  same 
time  two  of  the  best  musical  societies  in  Boston  were  giving  grand 
concerts  and  losing  money.  Why  }  The  War  Song  Concert  met 
the  wants  of  the  i)eople.  The  other  concerts  consisted  of  pro- 
grammes that  were  devoid  of  popular  sympathy.  Now  the  war-song 
music  may  have  been  inferior  to  the  other  music;  but  it  met  a  want, 
and  a  right  and  proper  want. 

"  But  how  could  we  meet  a  want }  "  asked   Louis. 

"  Well,  here  is  one  way.  They  have  concerts  of  English  ballads, 
Irish  ballads,  (ierman  songs,  madrigals,  the  songs  of  Bishop,  gems 
from  the  operas ;  but  who  ever  heard  of  a  concert  of  American  songs .? 
Now  I  think  that  a  concert  of  American  songs  by  a  class  of  young 
American  students  would  take.  Wliy  not.?  The  Spanish  students 
have  made  money  out  of  their  concerts.      Why  should   not   we  }  " 

That  was  a  subject   for  further  discussion. 


A    PROPOSED   JOURNEY.  51 

Master  Lewis,  seeing  that  the  story  of  Cliamplain  had  excited  so 
much  interest  in  the  study  of  New  France,  resolved  to  add  to  it  by 
relating  other  stories  of  Canada,  both  in  and  out  of  the  Class.  One 
of  these  gave  a  picture  of  a  period  of  history  with  which  the  boys 
had  little  acquaintance,  but  which  prepared  tlie  way  for  a  very  clear 
understanding  of  a  part  of  the  subject  to  which  they  were  now  to 
o^ive  their  attention. 


THE   GOLDEN    SHIP,   AND   THE   FAIR   BRICK    HOUSE   IN 
GREEN    LANE,    BOSTON. 

I  once  heard  Charlie  Noble  say  that  it  is  will  that  makes  a  fortune,  and 
genius  that  finds  gold  ;  and  that  a  boy  can  become  anything  that  he  chooses. 
This  is  partly  true.  New  England  has  had  few  romances.  The  strangest  events 
that  ever  happened  to  any  one  man  in  colonial  times  in  New  England  are  tiiose 
I  am  about  to  relate,  and  will  seem  to  illustrate  and  confirm  Charlie's  hopeful 
and  helpful,  but  somewhat  too  promising  theory. 

In  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  there  lived  at  Woolwich,  in  the 
wilderness  of  Maine,  a  family  consisting  of  a  man,  his  wife,  and  tivcnty-six 
children.      This  is  not  a  fairy  story. 

The  family  was  poor.  The  children  grew  up  in  ignorance.  What  could  a 
boy  out  of  such  a  family  and  such  a  place  ever  expect  to  become } 

One  of  the  boys  was  named  William.  He  was  put  to  tending  sheep,  and 
his  vouth   was  spent  largely  in  the  pastures. 

While  thus  engaged,  the  beautiful  things  of  nature  —  the  forests,  the  spring- 
time, the  moon  and  stars  at  night  —  all  impressed  him  with  the  thought  that  this 
was  a  world  of  many  sides,  resources,  and  opportunities,  and  that  there  might 
be  some  good  fortune  in  the  world  for  him.  He  became  restless.  He  was 
ambitious  to  learn  to  read  and  write. 

He  bound  himself  to  a  ship  carpenter  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  learned 
of  his  employer  to  read  and  write.  He  found  out  from  his  books  that  his 
impression  in  the  pastures  was  right,  that  the  world  is  wide  and  full  of  great 
opportunities. 

In  1673  he  came  to  Boston.  He  there  met  a  rich  lady  much  older  than 
himself,  who  took  a  kindly  interest  in  him  and  to  whom  he  gave  his  affections. 


52  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

Here  was  an  opportunity  to  secure  a  good-hearted  wife  and  a  fortune  at  the 
starting-point,  and  the  young  sheep-tender  improved  his  opportunity. 

His  wife  intrusted  him  with  her  means  ;  he  went  into  business,  and  failed, 
or  at  least  lost  all  he  had,  and  became  as  poor  as  he  had  been  in  Maine. 

"Never  mind,  never  mind,"  said  he  to  his  wife;  "one  day  I  will  have  a 
fortune  of  my  own,  and  then  I  will  make  up  for  all,  and  I  will  build  you  a  fair 
brick  house  in  Green  Lane  in  Boston." 

In  1684  this  restless  young  man  heard  of  a  Spanish  ship  that  had  been  lost 
near  the  Bahama  Islands,  and  which  had  contained  a  large  amount  of  gold  and 
silver.  He  began  to  dream  of  golden  ships  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and 
to  make  plans  for  the  recovery  of  this  particular  one  ;  and  he  hoped  to  build 
out  of  the  treasure  a  fair  brick  house,  for  his  wife,  in  Green  Lane,  Boston. 

He  went  to  England,  full  of  golden  visions.  He  procured  a  ship,  and  went 
to  Bermuda  ;  but  he  failed  to  secure  the  sunken  treasure,  and  returned  poor  ; 
and  Mrs.  Phipps  must  have  felt  that  her  prospect  of  living  in  a  fair  brick  house 
was  unpromising  indeed. 

But  William  still  believed  in  himself.  He  had  chanced,  as  it  would  seem,  to 
hear  of  another  Spanish  treasure  ship,  or  galleon,  that  had  been  cast  away  near 
Porto  de  la  Plata.  This  ship  had  been  freighted  with  immense  riches,  and  had 
lain  under  the  waves  for  fifty  years. 

William  dreamed  again.  He  did  not  let  any  feeling  of  self-depreciation 
stand  in  the  way  of  the  fulfilment  of  his  plans,  and  he  did  not  go  to  idlers  with 
his  story,  but  went  boldly  to  King  James,  who  at  that  time  had  great  need  of 
money.  The  king  listened  to  his  glowing  scheme,  and  gave  him  a  vessel  called 
the  "  Rose  Algier  "  to  make  the  attempt  to  recover  the  ship  of  gold. 

The  golden  dreams  of  one  affect  others,  and  the  crew  of  the  "Rose  Algier" 
began  to  dream.  They  llunight  that  there  was  a  yet  shorter  way  to  fortune 
than  searching  for  sunken  shii)s.  It  was  to  capture  such  ships  as  they  met  on 
the  sea.     The  men  advised  William  to  become  a  pirate. 

William  would  not  listen  to  their  i)roposal.  He  had  an  honest  heart.  The 
crew  mutinied  and  overcame  him  ;  but  tlic  shi[)  at  last  sprung  a  leak,  and  he 
was  returned  to  ICngland,  with  no  nearer  prosjjcct  of  the  fair  brick  house  in 
Green    Lcine  than  before. 

I'm  lie  did  not  lose  faith  in  himself  even  then.  On  his  last  voyage  he  had 
met  with  a  Spaniard,  an  (jid  man,  vviio  recalled  the  place  where  the  Spanish  ship 
had  been  wrecked.  William  again  went  to  the  king,  asked  for  another  ves.sel, 
but  was  refused. 

A  vessel  for  the  purpose  was,  however,  furnished  him  by  the  Duke  of  Albe- 
marle, who  had  given  an  itching  car  to  William's  dreams  and  schemes.      William 


A    PROPOSED   JOURNEY.  33 

again  sailed  from  England,  and  arrived  at  Porto  de  la  Plata,  still  thinking,  I 
have  no  doubt,  of  the  promise  he  had  made  to  his  good  wife  after  losing  her 
fortune,  of  the  fair  brick  house  in  Green  Lane. 

Guided  by  the  directions  given  by  the  aged  Spaniard,  William  proceeded  to 
the  foaming  reef  in  a  boat,  taking  with  him  some  expert  Indian  divers.  The 
latter  examined  the  sea-bottom  about  the  reef,  but  discovered  nothing  ;  and 
doubt  and  disappointment  began  to  enter  our  adventurer's  heart  at  last. 

The  water  near  the  reef  was  transparent ;  and  William  could  see  the  rocks 
beneath.  Looking  down  into  one  of  the  deep  crevices  of  the  rocks  where  the 
surface  was  calm,  he  saw  a  curious  sea-plant,  and  he  said  to  one  of  the  Indian 
divers,  — 

"  Go  down  and  bring  it  up." 

The  diver  plunged.     When  he  came  up,  he  appeared  greatly  excited. 

"  What  have  you  found,  —  gold  .''  " 

"No.     There  are  cannon  sunken  among  the  rocks." 

Cannon  !  William's  heart  leaped.  He  knew  that  the  guns  were  those  of 
the  old  Spanish  ship. 

The  English  crew  danced  about  the  deck  at  the  discovery. 

"Down  !"  said  Captain  William  again  to  the  diver. 

Down  went  all  of  the  divers.  They  were  gone  long.  They  were  hunting 
among  the  cannon  and  the  old  ship's  relics.  They  came  up.  One  of  them 
had  a  great  lump  of  ore.     It  proved  to  be  silver,  and  worth  a  thousand  dollars. 

"  Thanks  be  to  God  !  "  said  Captain  William.  "  Our  fortunes  are  now 
made  ! "  He  doubtless  thought  of  his  good  wife,  and  wondered  what  she  would 
say. 

The  iron  hooks  and  rakes  were  put  to  work.  All  of  the  metal  and  treasure 
that  had  formed  a  part  of  the  galleon  and  her  cargo  were  brought  up.  There 
were  bags  of  gold  and  silver,  plate  and  jewels  of  old  Spanish  grandees,  sacks  of 
coin,  that  broke  open  upon  the  deck,  and  caused  the  English  sailors  to  shout 
with  delight  and  to  leap  about  like  men  demented.  In  fact,  one  of  the  sailors 
lost  his  reason,  and  ever  after  chatted  like  an  idiot  about  sunken  ships  and 
bags  of  gold. 

The  value  of  the  rescued  treasure  was  about  $2,000,000.  Captain  William 
returned  it  all  honestly  to  the  duke,  and  the  latter  gave  him,  as  a  reward,  a 
fortune  amounting  to  ;^  16,000,  or  $80,000. 

The  king  was  so  much  pleased  with  his  perseverance  and  success  that  he 
made  him  a  knight. 

He  was  Sir  William  Phipps  now,  and  as  such  was  happy  to  share  his  good 
fortune  with  his  lady,  who  had  never  dreamed  of  so  much  riches  and  honor. 


54 


ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


The  Duke  of  Albemarle  sent  to  Mrs.  Phipps  a  magnificent  golden  cup  ;   and 

Sir  William,  as  soon  as  he 
was  able,  on  returning  to 
America,  built  for  her  a  fair 
brick  house,  in  Green  Lane, 
or  elsewhere  in  Boston. 

His  career  was  like 
one  of  the  heroes  of  the 
Arabian  Nights.  The 
French  held  Canada,  and 
the  French  colonies  were 
hostile  and  dangerous  to 
those  of  New  England. 
One  of  the  nearest  and 
most  interesting  of  these 
colonies  was  Acadia,  which 
has  since  figured  in  ro- 
mance and  poetry.  Sir 
William  resolved  on  mak- 
ing an  expedition,  in  the 
\  interest  of  England,  to  con- 
c[uer  and  render  powerless 
this  colony  ;  and  he  hoped 
also  to  add  to  his  riches 
and  fame.  He  was  suc- 
cessful ;  and  when  he  re- 
turned to  Boston,  there  was 
no  man  in  the  colony  more 
distinguished  than  Sir 
William  rhip[)s. 
But  his  greatest  honor  was  yet  to  come.  William  and  Mary  came  to  the 
English  throne.  England  was  still  hostile  to  I-'rance  and  her  colonies;  and 
when  it  fell  to  the  new  king  to  appoint  a  governor  for  Massachusetts,  whom 
should  he  commission  but  the  super-serviceable  hero  of  Acadia,  Sir  William 
I'hipps  ? 

So  ill  the  old  I'rovince  House  Sir  William  sat  down  in  knee-breeches,  and 
ruffles,  and  waistcoat  bedi/.cned  with  gold,  gorgeous  as  one  of  the  old  Spanish 
grandees  who.se  treasure  he  had  gained  ;  and  by  him  sat  Lady  Phipps,  as 
resplendent  as  a  court  duchess,  and  very  proud  of  her  husband. 


OLD   PROVTNCE   HOUSE. 


A    PROPOSE  I)   JOURNEY.  55 

Sheep-tender  Phipps,  Carpenter  Phipps,  Captain  Phipps,  Sir  William  Phipps, 
Governor  Phipps,  General  Phipps,  died  suddenly,  in  luigland,  at  the  age  of 
forty-four  or  five.  I  have  told  you  his  story  on  account  of  its  association  with 
Acadia. 

You  may  hear  of  him  again,  should  you  spend  some  days  on  your  proposed 
journey  in  Quebec.  Sir  William  was  not  able  to  accomplish  all  that  he  wished  ; 
he  was  once  ambitious  to  capture  the  Fortress  of  Quebec,  and  attempted  it, 
but  had  to  retire.  Still  I  cannot  say  what  he  might  have  done  had  he 
persevered. 

"  Wolfe  accomplished  it  at  last,"  said  Charlie  Noble. 
"  Yes,"  said  Master  Lewis.      "  Suppose  you  tell  us,  at  some  future 
recitation,  who  told  him   how." 


CHAPTER   III. 


THE   ZIGZAG   CLUB'S    SONGS   AND    STORIES. 


^ 

s 

i 

HE  study  of  the  history  of  Old  and  New  France 
during  the  period  of  American  discovery  and  settle- 
ment made  the  Class  daily  more  eager  to  make  a 
summer  tour  through  the   Province. 

"I  shall  go,"  said  Charlie  Noble,  "if  I  have  to 
ride  on  a  velocipede.  I  have  been  thinking  about 
the  plan  I  proposed  for  a  concert  of  American  songs.  I  think 
that  we  could  arrange  such  a  concert  and  make  it  pay  well.  If 
we  were  successful  here,  we  might  repeat  it  in  the  cities  of  the 
Provinces.  When  we  had  spent  our  money  we  could  sing." 
"  If  we  were  sure  of  finding  audiences  to  listen,"  said  Robertson. 
"Sure.'^  Make  uj)  a  programme  of  songs  that  people  want  to  hear, 
and  you  may  be  sure  of  an  audience.  Any  man  who  has  produce 
that  people  want  to  buy  is  sure  of  a  market.  As  I  said  before,  my 
idea  of  genius  is  that  it  is  simply  knowing  how  to  meet  a  want. 
*  He  is  a  genius,'  Emerson  sa)'s,  '  who  gives  me  back  my  own 
thoughts.'" 

"  Well,    I    Jiope    )()u    may    j^rovc    a   genius,"   said    Charlie    Leland. 
"  Ha\'c-  you  talked  willi   Master  Lewis  about  this  matter.?" 
"  Yes." 


What 


(\\(\ 


say 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB'S  SONGS  AND  STORIES. 


57 


"  He  said  that  he  would  be  sorry  to  see  the  names  of  his  boys 
posted  about  the  streets  on  hand-bills  like  circus  riders." 

"  Did  he  say  that  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  and  he  said  that  he  had  noticed  that  when  boys  become  used 
to  the  public  platform  they  are  apt  to  be  restless  for  noise  and  applause 
afterwards  and  dissatisfied  with  the  plain  duties  of  life.  '  I  have  seen,' 
said  he,  '  several  good  schools  ruined  by  exhibitions  ; '  and  he  further 
informed  me  that  '  modesty  and  public  applause  are  not  brothers.' " 

"  That  was  rather  discouraging,"  said  Robertson.  "  What  did 
you  say  in  reply  }  " 

"  I  just  said  I  thought  that  our  plan  could  not  be  open  to  these 
objections ;  that  there 
were  enterprise  and  self- 
reliance  in  it,  and  that 
Atnericaii  songrs  were 
manly  tilings. 

"  Now,  boys,"  con-  (^ 
tinued  Noble,  "  there  is 
a  great  deal  in  the  art  of 
putting  things.  Why, 
I  once  read  of  an  old 
Egyptian  king  that 
dreamed  that  his  teeth 
drODDed    out     and    he  "all  your  relations  will  die  before  you." 

went  to  an  astrologer  for  an  interpretation  of  the  meaning  of  his 
dream.  '  It  means,'  said  the  astrologer,  '  that  all  your  relations  will 
die  before  you.'  The  king  was  very  much  offended  at  the  interpre- 
tation. You  see  that  astrologer  did  n't  know  how  to  interpret. 
Then  the  king  chanced  to  meet  a  poor  shepherd  by  the  seaside,  and 
he  asked  him  for  an  interpretation.  The  shepherd  was  bright.  '  It 
means,  said  he,  'that  you  shall  outlive  all  of  your  relations.'  That 
madd  the  king  happy.     Outlive  was  just  the  word. 


58 


ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADL4. 


"  I  think  I  said  just  the  right  thing  to  Master  Lewis  when  I  spoke 
of  enterprise,  self-reliance,  and  of  American  sojigs  being  manly.  He 
said  pleasantly,  '  There  are  two  sides  to  a  shield ; '  and  added,  '  Give 
a  private  concert  of  American  songs  in  the  hall,  and  I  will  advise 
you  further  when  I  have  heard  it.'  He  said,  '  I  like  your  spirit ; '  that 
means,  '  yes.' 

"  I  propose  that  the  topic  for  discussion  at  the  next  meeting  of  the 
Ziofzagf  Club  be  American  sonos  and  that  each  member  who  can  sino- 

be  asked  to  sing  an 
historic  sono-  or  ballad 
that  relates  to  our  own 
country.  I  believe  that 
American  boys  should 
be  American." 

The  Ziozao-  Club 
was  a  school  society 
that  had  been  contin- 
ued in  the  Academy 
for  many  years.  Its 
object,  beyond  mere 
entertainment,  was  to 
gather  information  about  particular  countries,  institutions,  or  places. 
Charlie   Leland  l/iis  year  was  the  president  of  the  Club. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Club  after  this  discussion,  it  was  voted  that 
the  toi)ic  of  the  weekly  meetings  for  a  time  should  be  "  Stories  of 
Acadia,"  and  that  the  Musical  Connnittee  should  arrange  for  the 
singing  of  American  songs  between  the  provincial  narratives. 

Charhe  Noble  threw  his  whole  soul  into  the  musical  plan.  He 
induced  Charlie  Leland,  the  school  poet,  to  write  original  words  for 
the  stirring  tune  known  as  "  The  Red,  White,  and  Blue,"  and  also  to 
j;iit  into  verse  a  somewhat  original  ode  entitled  "  So  say  we  all  of 
us,"  to  close   the  exercises. 


vol:    WII.I.    OUTLIVIC    ALL    VOUK    HKLAllONb. 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB'S  SONGS  AND  STORIES.  59 


THE   SONGS   AND    STORIES    OF   THE   CLUB. 

The  meeting  of  the  Club  to  relate  stones  of  Acadia  was  opened 
by  the  song  composed  by  Charlie  Leland.  The  solos  were  sung  by 
Otto,  and  the  chorus  by  the  musical  society  of  the  school.  The 
Club  and  their  friends  were  somewhat  surprised  when  Otto  appeared 
bearinq-  in  his  hand  a  flao-staff  with  a  half-unfolded  flaQ-. 


TO  THE  RIGHT,  TO  THE  RIGHT  EVER  TRUE. 

Wake    the  song  to  the  nation's  defenders. 

The  years  of  prosperity  glow  ; 
The  natal  day  welcome,  that  renders 

The  love  that  to  valor  we  owe. 
Wake  the  song  wiiere  our  fathers,  undaunted, 

Proclaimed,  when  the  nation  was  new. 
That  their  ensign  for  Liberty  planted 

Should  be  to  the  Right  ever  true  ! 

CHORUS. 

To  the  Right,  to  the  Right  ever  true. 
To  the  Right,  to  the  Right  ever  true, 

The  ensign  for  Liberty  planted 
Should  be  to  the  Ri"ht  ever  true. 


When  the  Red  Cross  of  England  contended 

With  the  Lilies  of  France,  in  their  miglit 
Our  fathers  arose  and  defended 

For  freedom  the  cause  of  the  Right. 
Then  dared  they  the  sceptre  to  sever; 

For  the  Riglit,  the  far  forest  ways  trod, 
And  templed  the  fair  hills,  wherever 

Their  faces  were  lifted  to  God. 

CHORUS. 

To  the  Right,  to  the  Right  ever  true. 
To  the  Right,  to  the  Right  ever  true, 

The  ensign  for  Liberty  planted 
Has  been  to  the  Right  ever  true. 


6o  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

The  banners  of  tsranny  faded,  ^ 

The  Red  Cross,  and  LiHes  of  Gold, — 
And  tlie  folds  no  oppression  had  shaded  — 

The  stars  of  the  empire  —  unrolled  ! 
And  they  pledged  it,  these  heroes  victorious, 

As  on  Liberty's  breeze  it  unfurled, 
To  the  birthriglit  of  man,  ever  glorious, 

And  to  freemen,  the  kings  of  the  world  ! 

CHORUS. 

To  the  Right,  to  the  Right  ever  true. 
To  the  Riglit,  to  the  Right  ever  true. 

The  ensign  for  Liberty  planted 
Has  been  to  the  Right  ever  true. 


Her  red  war  when  Slavery  vaunted, 

The  heroes  of  Right  rose  as  one  ; 
The  banner  the  father  had  planted 

Was  guarded  for  Right  by  the  son. 
Young  martyrs,  —  let  valor  deplore  them,  — 

Their  names  on  the  white  marbles  glow  ; 
The  roses  of  June  redden  o'er  them, 

The  war  bugles  peacefully  blow. 

CHOKUS. 

To  the  Right,  to  the  Right  ever  true, 
To  the  Right,  to  the  Right  ever  true, 

The  Flag  they  defended,  forever 
To  the  cause  of  the  Right  shall  be  true. 


Again,  at  tiiis  altar  that  Ijinds  us. 

The  faitli  of  the  past  we'll  renew, 
An  hundred  years  fading  behind  us, 

A  thousand  years  rising  to  view. 
And  as  long  as  the  fair  constellations 

.Shall  lighten  the  heavens  willi  gold. 
Shall  the  banner  of  Right  be  the  nation's, 

And  ever  for  Right  be  unrolled  ! 

(  IIOUUS. 

To  the  Right,  to  the  I\ighl  ever  true, 
To  the  Right,  to  the  Right  ever  true, 

The  flag  of  our  nation  forever 
To  the  cause  of  the  Kight  siiall  be  true. 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB'S  SONGS  AND  STORIES.  6 1 

Charlie  Leland  began  the  story-telling  with  a  brief  account  of 

GLOOSCAP. 

The  Indians,  he  said,  imagined  that  their  deities  dwelt  amid  beautiful 
scenery.  The  top  of  Mount  Washington  was  believed  by  them  to  be  a  Para- 
dise, and  they  thought  that  it  was  wicked  to  ascend  the  mountain  beyond  a 
certain  limit. 

Glooscap  was  the  god  of  the  Micmacs,  the  Indian  tribe  of  Nova  Scotia. 
His  throne  was  Blomidon. 

He  was  beheved  to  be  a  Spirit  of  Universal  Good,  He  assumed  the  form 
of  a  man  for  the  welfare  of  the  Indian  race ;  but  he  was  of  heavenly  origin,  and 
invulnerable,  and  not  subject  to  sickness  or  the  law  of  death.  We  are  told 
that  he  dwelt  at  times  above,  in  a  great  wigwam,  in  the  realms  of  effulgent  light 
and  illimitable  space,  —  those  quiet  paradises  where  the  Indian  thinks  the 
streams  softly  flow,  and  gorgeous  birds  sing  low,  and  the  groves  wave  in  noise- 
less air ;  where  all  things  are  such  as  we  find  them  in  dreams. 

The  Indian  doctrine  was  that  this  deity  was  "never  far  from  any  one  who 
followed  his  counsel,"  which  was  the  law  of  right  ;  so,  when  any  good  person 
was  treated  with  injustice,  he  appeared  in  his  behalf,  assuming  some  earthly 
form. 

It  was  he  who  planted  agates  around  Blomidon,  who  taught  the  people  to 
hunt  and  fish.  He  governed  the  spirits  of  the  forest.  The  animals  were  a  part 
of  his  kingdom,  as  well  as  spirits  and  men.  In  his  Golden  Age  he  talked  with 
the  animals,  and  the  animals  talked  with  each  other. 

He  had  huge  hunting-dogs.     They  were  agents  of  his  power. 

When  the  English  came,  he  departed.  He  turned  his  two  hunting-dogs 
into  stones.  There  are  many  stones  around  Blomidon,  —  more  stones  than 
agates.      Two  of  these  are  said  to  be  Glooscap's  dogs. 

He  will  come  again  one  day.  The  animals  are  all  expecting  him.  The 
white  owl  has  been  a  solitary  bird  since  he  departed,  and  calls  for  him  in  the 
lonely  forests  all  the  night.      She  says  continually,  "  I  am  sorry  ! " 

When  he  comes  again  he  will  awaken  his  two  stone  dogs.  So  the  Indians 
once  believed.  But  the  Micmacs  are  becoming  a  good  Christian  people,  and  the 
superstition  is  fading  away  among  the  myths  of  the  past. 

I  will  read  you  a  poem  about  Glooscap  written  by  a  young  clergyman  whose 
early  home  was  in  Acadia :  — 


52  ZIGZAG   JOURXEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


THE    LEGEND    OF    GLOOSCAP. 

Bathed  in  the  sunshine  still,  as  of  yore, 
Stretches  the  peaceful  Acadian  shore  ; 
Fertile  meadows  and  fields  of  grain 
Smile  as  they  drink  the  summer  rain. 

There,  like  a  sentinel  grim  and  gray, 
BlomiJon  stands  at  the  head  of  the   Bay; 
And  the  famous   Fundy  tides,  at  will, 
Sweep  into  Minas  Basin  still. 

With  wondrous  beauty  the  Gaspereaux 
Winds  its  way  to  the  sea  below  ; 
And  the  old  Acadian  Grand  Pre 
Is  the  home  of  i)rosperous  men  to-day. 

The  place  where  Basil  the  Llacksmith  wrought 
In   the  glow  of  his  forge,   is  a  classic  spot; 
And  every  summer  tourists  are  seen 
In   the  fairy  haunts  of  Evangeline. 

But  the  old  y\cadian  woods  and  shores, 
Rich  in  beautiful  legend  stores, 
Were  once  the  home  of  an  older  race, 
Who  wove  their  epics  with  untaught  grace. 

Long  ere   the  dikes   that  guard   for  aye 
Ironi   the  merciless  tides  the  old  Grand   Prd, 
Built  by  the   Frenchman's  tireless  hands, 
Grew  round  the  rich   Acadian  lands,  — 

The   Micmac  sailed   in  his  birch  canoe 
Over  tlie  Basin  calm  and  blue  ; 
Speared  the  salmon,  —  his  lieart's  desire; 
Danced  and  slept  by  his  wigwam  fire  ; 

Far  in  the  depth  of  the  forest  pray 
Hunted  the  moose  the  livelong  day  ; 
While  the  mother  .sang  to  her   Mirmac  child 
SonjiS  of  the  forest  weird  and  wild. 


65 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB'S  SONGS  AND  STORIES. 

Over  the  tribe,  with  jealous  eye, 
Watched  the  Great  Spirit  from  on  high. 
While  on  the  crest  of  Blomidon 
Glooscap,  the  God-man,  dwelt  alone. 


No  matter  how  far  his  feet  might  stray 
Far  from  the  haunts  of  his  tribe  away, 
Glooscap  could  hear  the  Indian's  prayer, 
And  send  some  message  of  comfort  there. 


Glooscap  it  was  who  taught  the  use 

Of  the  bow  and  spear,  and  who  sent  the  moose 

Into  the  Indian  hunter's  hands, — 

Glooscap,  who  strewed  the  shining  sands 


Of  the  tide-swept  beach  of  the  stormy  bay 
With  amethysts  purple  and  agates  gray, 
And  brought  to  each  newly  wedded  pair 
The  Great  Spirit's  benediction  fair. 


But  the  white  man  came,  and  with  ruthless  hand 
Cleared  the  forest,  and  sowed  the  land, 
And  drove  from  their  haunts  by  the  sunny  shore 
Micmac  and  moose  foreverniore. 


And  Glooscap,  saddened  and  sore  distressed, 
Took  his  way  to  the  unknown  West ; 
And  the  Micmac  kindled  his  wigwam  fire 
Far  from  the  grave  of  his  child  and  his  sire,  - 


Where  now,  as  he  weaves  his  basket  gay, 
And  paddles  his  birch  canoe  away, 
He  dreams  of  the  happy  time  for  men. 
When  Glooscap  shall  come  to  his  tribe  again. 


Tommy  Toby,  an  old  member  of  the  Club,  who  used  to  entertain 
it,  when  he  was  a  member  of  the  Academy,  with  curious  historic 
stories,  was  present,  and  had  been  asked  to  offer  a  humorous  story. 

5 


56  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

In  response  to  the  request,  he  had  merely  said,  "  I  do  not  know  any 
stories  of  Acadia  except  '  Evangeline '  and  the  Skipper's  Wild-Geese 
Ecrcrs."  "  Tell  us  the  story  of  the  Skipper's  Wild-Geese  E^gs,"  said 
Charlie  ;    and  Tommy  had  promised  to  oblige  him. 


A   THANKSGIVING   DINNER   THAT   FLEW   AWAY. 

There  is  one  sound,  said  Tommy,  that  I  shall  always  remember.  It  is 
"  Honk  !  " 

I  spun  around  like  a  top,  one  summer  day  when  I  heard  it,  looking 
nervously   in    every    direction. 

I  had  just  come  down  from  the  city  to  the  Cape  with  my  sister  Hester 
for  my  third  summer  vacation.  I  had  left  the  cars  with  my  arms  full  of  bun- 
dles, and  hurried  toward  Aunt  Targood's. 

The  cottage  stood  in  from  the  road.  There  was  a  long  meadow  in  front  of 
it.  In  the  meadow  were  two  great  oaks  and  some  clusters  of  lilacs.  An  old, 
mossy  stone  wall  protected  the  grounds  from  the  road,  and  a  long  walk  ran 
from  the  old  wooden  gate  to  the  door. 

It  was  a  sunny  day,  and  my  heart  was  light.  The  orioles  were  flaming  in 
the  old  orchards'*;  the  bobolinks  were  tossing  themselves  about  in  the  long 
meadows  of  timothy,  daisies,  and  patches  of  clover.  There  was  a  scent  of 
new-mown  hay  in  the  air. 

In  the  distance  lay  the  bay,  calm  and  resplendent,  with  white  sails  and 
specks  of  boats.  Beyond  it  rose  Martha's  Vineyard,  green  and  cool  and  bowery, 
and  at  its  wharf  lay  a  steamer. 

I  was,  as  I  said,  light-hearted.  I  was  thinking  of  rides  over  the  sandy 
roads  at  the  clo.sc  of  the  long,  bright  days  ;  of  excursions  on  the  bay  ;  of  clam- 
bakes and  picnics. 

I  was  hungry  ;  and  before  me  rose  visions  of  Aunt  Targood's  fish  dinners, 
roast  chickens,  and  berry  pies.  I  was  thirsty  ;  but  ahead  was  the  old  well- 
sweep,  and  behind  the  cool  lattice  of  the  dairy  window  were  pans  of  milk  in 
abundance. 

I  tripped  on  toward  the  door  with  light  feet,  lugging  my  bundles  and  beaded 
with  perspiration,  but  uiiiiiiiulfn!  of  all  discomforts  in  the  thought  of  the  bright 
flays  and  go(jd  things  in  store  for  me. 

"Honk!  honk!" 

My  heart  gave  a  bound  ! 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB'S  SONGS  AND  STORIES. 


67 


HONK. 


Where  did  that  sound  come  from  ? 

Out  of  a  cool  cluster  of  innocent-looking  lilac  bushes,  I  saw  a  dark  object 
cautiously  moving.  It  seemed  to  have  no  head.  I  knew,  however,  that  it  had 
a  head.  I  had  seen  it  ;  it  had  seized  me  once  on  the  previous  summer,  and  I 
had  been  in  terror  of  it  during  all  the  rest  of  the  season. 

I  looked  down  into  the  irregular  grass,  and  saw  the  head  and  a  very  long 
neck  running  along  on  the  ground,  propelled  by  the  dark  body,  like  a  snake 
running  away  from  a  ball.  It  was  coming 
toward  me,  and  faster  and  faster  as  it 
approached. 

I  dropped  my  bundles. 

In  a  few  flying  leaps  I  returned  to  the 
road  again,  and  armed  myself  with  a  stick 
from  a  pile  of  cord-wood. 

"Honk!  honk!  honk!" 

It  was  a  call  of  triumph.  The  head 
was  high  in  the  air  now.  My  enemy  moved 
grandly  forward,  as  became  the  monarch  of 
the  great  meadow  farmyard. 

I  stood  with  beating  heart,  after  my  retreat. 

It  was  Aunt  Targood's  gander. 

How  he  enjoyed  his  triumph,  and  how  small  and  cowardly  he  made  me  feel ! 

"Honk!  honk!  honk!" 

The  geese  came  out  of  the  lilac  bushes,  bowing  their  heads  to  him  in 
admiration.  Then  came  the  goslings,  —  a  long  procession  of  awkward,  half- 
feathered  things  ;  they  appeared  equally  delighted. 

The  gander  seemed  to  be  telling  his  admiring  audience  all  about  it :  how  a 
strange  lad  with  many  bundles  had  attempted  to  cross  the  yard  ;  how  he  had 
driven  him  back,  and  had  captured  his  bundles,  and  now  was  monarch  of  the 
field.  He  clapped  his  wings  when  he  had  finished  his  heroic  story,  and  sent 
forth  such  a  "  Honk  ! "  as  might  have  startled  a  major-general. 

Then  he,  with  an  air  of  great  dignity  and  coolness,  began  to  examine  my 
baggage.  ^ 

Among  my  effects  were  several  pounds  of  chocolate  caramels,  done  up  in 
brown  paper.  Aunt  Targood  liked  caramels,  and  I  had  brought  her  a  large 
supply. 

He  tore  off  the  wrappers  quickly.  He  bit  one.  It  was  good.  He  began  to 
distribute  the  bonbons  among  the  geese,  and  they,  with  much  liberality  and 
good-will,  among  the  goslings. 


68  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

This  was  too  much.  I  ventured  through  the  gate,  swinging  my  cord-wood 
stick. 

"  Shoo ! " 

He  dropped  his  head  on  the  ground,  and  drove  it  down  the  walk  in  a  Hvely 
waddle  toward  me. 

"  SJwo  !  " 

It  was  Aunt  Targood's  voice  at  the  door. 

He  stopped  immediately. 

His  head  was  in  the  air  again. 

"  S/ioo  !  " 

Out  came  Aunt  Targood  with  her  broom. 

She  always  corrected  the  gander  with  her  broom.  If  I  were  to  be  whipped, 
I  should  choose  a  broom,  —  not  the  stick. 

As  soon  as  he  beheld  the  broom  he  retired,  although  with  much  offended 
pride  and  dignity,  to  the  lilac  bushes  ;  and  the  geese  and  goslings  followed 
him. 

"  Hester,  you  dear  child,"  she  said  to  my  sister,  "  come  here.  I  was  ex- 
pecting you,  and  had  been  looking  out  for  you,  but  missed  sight  of  you,  I  had 
forgotten  all  about  the  gander." 

We  gathered  up  the  bundles  and  the  caramels.     I  was  light-hearted  again. 

How  cool  was  the  sitting-room,  with  the  woodbine  falling  about  the  open 
windows ! 

Aunt  brought  me  a  pitcher  of  milk  and  some  strawberries,  some  bread 
and  honey,  and  a  fan. 

While  I  was  resting  and  taking  my  lunch,  I  could  hear  the  gander  discuss- 
ing the  affairs  of  the  farmyard  with  the  geese.  I  did  not  greatly  enjoy  the 
discussion.  His  tone  of  voice  was  very  proud,  and  he  did  not  seem  to  be 
speaking  well  of  me. 

I  was  suspicious  that  he  did  not  think  me  a  very  brave  lad.  A  young 
person  likes  to  be  spoken  well  of,  even  by  the  gander. 

Aunt  Targood's  gander  had  been  the  terror  of  many  well-meaning  people, 
and  of  some  evil-doers,  for  many  years.  I  have  seen  tramps  and  pack-pedlers 
enter  the  gate,  a^jd  start  on  toward  the  door,  when  there  would  sound  that 
ringing  warning  like  a  war-blast,  "  Honk,  honk  !"  and  in  a  few  minutes  these 
unwelcome  j)Cople  would  be  gone.  Farm-house  boarders  from  the  city  would 
sometimes  enter  the  yard,  thinking  to  draw  water  by  the  old  well-sweep;  in  a 
few  minutes  it  was  customary  to  hear  shrieks,  and  to  see  women  and  children 
flying  over  the  walls,  followed  by  air-rending  "Honks!"  and  jubilant  cackles 
from   the  victorious  gander  and  his  admiring  family. 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB'S  SOXGS  AND  STORIES.  69 

Aunt  Targood  sometimes  took  summer  boarders.  Among  those  that  I 
remember  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bonney,  a  fervent-souled  Methodist  preacher. 
He  put  the  gander  to  flight  with  the  cart-whip,  on  the  second  day  after  his 
arrival,  and  seemingly  to  aunt's  great  grief  ;  but  he  never  was  troubled  by 
the  feathered  tyrant  again. 

Young  couples  sometimes  came  to  Father  Bonney  to  be  married  ;  and,  one 
summer  afternoon,  there  rode  up  to  the  gate  a  very  young  couple,  whom  we 
afterward  learned  had  "  run  away,"  or,  rather,  had  attempted  to  get  married 
without  their  parents'  approval.  The  young  bridegroom  hitched  the  horse,  and 
helped  from  the  carriage  the  gayly  dressed  miss  he  expected  to  make  his  wife. 
They  started  up  the  walk  upon  the  run,  as  though  they  expected  to  be  followed, 
and  haste  was  necessary  to  prevent  the  failure  of  their  plans. 

"  Honk ! " 

They  stopped.     It  was  a  voice  of  authority. 

"  Just  look  at  him  !  "  said  the  bride.     "  Oh  !  oh  !  " 

The  bridegroom  cried  "  Shoo  !  "  but  he  might  as  well  have  said  "  Shoo  "  to  a 
steam-engine.  On  came  the  gander,  with  his  head  and  neck  upon  the  ground. 
He  seized  the  lad  by  the  calf  of  his  leg,  and  made  an  immediate  application  of 
his  wings.  The  latter  seemed  to  think  he  had  been  attacked  by  dragons.  As 
soon  as  he  could  shake  him  off,  he  ran.  So  did  the  bride,  but  in  another 
direction  ;  and  while  the  two  were  thus  perplexed  and  discomfited,  the  bride's 
father  appeared  in  a  carriage,  and  gave  her  a  most  forcible  invitation  to  ride 
home  with  him.  She  accepted  it  without  discussion.  What  became  of  the 
bridegroom,  or  how  the  matter  ended,  we  never  knew. 

"  Aunt,  what  makes  you  keep  that  gander,  year  after  year } "  said  I,  one 
evening,  as  we  were  sitting  on  the  lawn  before  the  door.  "  Is  it  because  he  is  a 
kind  of  watch-dog,  and  keeps  troublesome  people  away  ?  " 

-  "  No,  child,  no  ;  I  do  not  wish  to  keep  most  people  away,  —  not  well-behaved 
people,  —  nor  to  distress  nor  annoy  any  one.  The  fact  is,  there  is  a  story  about 
that  gander  that  I  do  not  like  to  speak  of  to  every  one,  —  something  that 
makes  me  feel  tender  toward  him  ;  so  that  if  he  needs  a  whipping,  I  would 
rather  do  it.  He  knows  something  that  no  one  else  knows.  I  could  not  have 
him  killed  or  sent  away.  You  have  heard  me  speak  of  Nathaniel,  my  oldest 
boy.?" 

"  Yes." 

"That  is  his  picture  in  my  room,  you  know.  He  was  a  good  boy  to  me. 
He  loved  his  mother.  I  loved  Nathaniel,  —  you  cannot  think  how  much  I  lo\'ed 
Nathaniel.     It  was  on  my  account  that  he  went  away. 

"The  farm  did  not  produce  enough  for  us  all, —  Nathaniel,  John,  and  me. 


70  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

We  worked  hard,  and  had  a  hard  time.  One  year  —  that  was  ten  years  ago  — 
we  were  sued  for  our  taxes. 

" '  Nathaniel,'  said  I,  '  I  will  go  to  taking  boarders.' 

"Then  he  looked  up  to  me  and  said,  —  oh,  how  noble  and  handsome  he 
appeared  to  me  !  — 

" '  Mother,  I  will  go  to  sea.' 

"  '  Where  } '  asked  I,  in  surprise. 

'"  In  a  coaster.' 

"  I  turned  white.      How  I  felt ! 

"'You  and  John  can  manage  the  place,'  he  continued.  '  One  of  the  vessels 
sails  next  week, —  Uncle  Aaron's;  he  offers  to  take  me.' 

"  It  seemed  best,  and  he  made  preparations  to  go. 

"The  spring  before.  Skipper  Ben  —  you  have  met  Skipper  Ben  —  had  given 
me  some  goose  eggs  ;  he  had  brought  them  from  Canada,  and  said  that  they 
were  wild-goose  eggs. 

"  I  set  them  under  hens.  In  four  weeks  I  had  three  goslings.  I  took  them 
into  the  house  at  first,  but  afterward  made  a  pen  for  them  out  in  the  yard.  I 
brought  them  up  myself,  and  one  of  those  goslings  is  that  gander. 

"  Skipper  Ben  came  over  to  see  me,  the  day  before  Nathaniel  was  to  sail. 
Aaron  came  with  him. 

"  I  said  to  Aaron, — 

"'What  can  I  give  to  Nathaniel  to  carry  to  sea  with  him  to  make  him  think 
of  home .'  Cake,  preserves,  apples  .?  I  have  n't  got  much  ;  I  have  done  all  I 
can  for  him,  poor  boy.' 

"  Brother  looked  at  me  curiously,  and  said, — 

"'Give  him  one  of  those  wild  geese,  and  \vc  will  fatten  it  on  shipboard  and 
will  have  it  for  our  Thanksgiving  dinner.' 

"What  Brother  Aaron  said  pleased  me.  The  young  gander  was  a  noble 
bird,  the  handsomest  of  the  lot ;  and  I  resolved  to  keep  the  geese  to  kill  for  my 
own  use,  and  to  give  him  to  Nathaniel. 

"The  next  morning — it  was  late  in  September — I  took  leave  of  Nathaniel. 
I  tried  to  be  calm  and  cheerful  and  hopeful.  I  watched  him  as  he  went  down 
the  walk  with  the  gander  struggling  under  his  arms.  A  stranger  would  have 
laughed,  but  I  did  not  feel  like  laughing;  it  was  true  tliat  the  boys  who 
went  coasting  were  usually  gone  but  a  few  jnonlhs,  and  came  home  hardy  and 
happy.  Ikit  when  poverty  compels  a  mollier  and  son  to  i)art,  after  they  have 
been  true  to  each  other,  and  shared  their  feelings  in  common,  it  seems  hard, — 
it  seems  hard,  though  T  do  not  like  to  niuninn-  or  complain  at  anything  allotted 
to  me. 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUES  SONGS  AND   STORIES. 


71 


"  I  saw  him  go  over  the  hill.  On  the  top  he  stopped  and 
held  up  the  gander.  He  disappeared  ;  yes,  my  own  Nathaniel 
disappeared.     I  think  of  him  now  as  one  who  disappeared. 

"  November    came.       It     was    a    terrible 
month   on    the   coast  that   year.      Storm  fol- 
lowed   storm  ;    the    sea-faring    people    talked 
constantly  of  wrecks  and  losses.     I  could  not 
sleep  on    the    nights    of  those  high 
winds.     I  used  to  lie  awake  thinking 
over  all  the  happy  hours  I  had  lived 


'•  I  SAW  HIM  GO  OVER  THE 
HILL." 


"Thanksgiving  week  came. 

"  It  was  full  of  an  Indian- 
summer  brightness  after  the 
long  storms.  The  nights 
were  frosty,  bright,  and  calm. 

"  I    could    sleep    on    those 
calm  nights. 
One  morning,  I  thougjit  I  heard  a  strange  sound  in  the  woodland  pasture. 


72  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

It  was  like  a  wild  goose.     I  listened ;  it  was  repeated.     I  was  lying  in  bed.     I 
started  up,  —  I  thought  I  had  been  dreaming. 

"  On  the  night  before  Thanksgiving  I  went  to  bed  early,  being  very  tired. 
The  moon  was  full  ;  the  air  was  calm  and  still.  I  was  thinking  of  Nathaniel, 
and  I  wondered  if  he  would  indeed  have  the  gander  for  his  Thanksgiving 
dinner ;  if  it  would  be  cooked  as  well  as  I  would  have  cooked  it,  and  if  he  would 
think  of  me  that  day. 

"I  was  just  going  to  sleep  when  suddenly  I  heard  a  sound  that  made  me 
start  up  and  hold  my  breath. 

"  '  Honk  !  ' 

"  I  thought  it  was  a  dream  followed  by  a  nervous  shock. 

"'Honk/  Jionk!' 

"  There  it  was  again,  in  the  yard.     I  was  surely  awake  and  in  my  senses. 

"  I  heard  the  geese  cackle. 

"'Honk!  honk!  honk!' 

"  I  got  out  of  bed  and  lifted  the  curtain.  It  was  almost  as  light  as  day. 
Instead  of  two  geese  there  were  three.  Had  one  of  the  neighbors'  geese  stolen 
away  .-^ 

"  I  should  have  thought  so,  and  should  not  have  felt  disturbed,  but  for  the 
reason  that  none  of  the  neighbors'  geese  had  that  peculiar  call,  —  that  horn-like 
tone  that  I  had  noticed  in  mine. 

"  1  went  out  of  the  door. 

"  The  third  goose  looked  like  the  very  gander  I  had  given  Nathaniel. 
Could  it  be  .'' 

"  I  did  not  sleep.     I  rose  early  and  went  to  the  crib  for  some  corn. 

"It  was  a  gander  —  a  'wild'  gander — that  had  come  in  the  night.  He 
seemed  to  know  me. 

"  I  trembled  all  over  as  though  I  had  seen  a  ghost.  I  was  so  faint  that  I 
sat  down  on  the  meal-chest. 

"As  I  was  in  that  place,  a  bill  pecked  against  the  door.  The  door  opened. 
The  strange  gander  came  hobbling  over  the  crib-stone  and  went  to  the  corn-bin. 
He  stopped  there,  looked  at  me,  and  gave  a  sort  of  glad  "  Honk,"  as  though  he 
knew  me  and  was  glad  to  see  me. 

"I  was  certain  ihat  he  was  the  g.iiidLT  I  had  raised,  and  that  Nathaniel 
had  lifted  into  the  air  wlicii  he  gave  nic  liis  last  recognition  from  the  top  of 
the  hill. 

"It  overcame  me.  It  was  Thanksgiving.  The  church  bell  would  soon  be 
ringing  as  on  .Sunday.  And  here  was  Nathaniel's  Thanksgiving  dinner;  and 
I'liothiT  A.-iion's,  —  IkhI   it    flown   away  .-•      Where  was  the  vessel.'' 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB'S  SONGS  AND  STORIES.  73 

"Years  have  passed,  —  ten.  You  know  I  waited  and  waited  for  my  boy  to 
come  back.  December  grew  dark  with  its  rainy  seas  ;  the  snows  fell ;  May 
lighted  up  the  hills,  but  the  vessel  never  came  back.  Nathaniel —  my  Nathaniel 
—  never  returned. 


:2iE^^ 


"  HE   NEVER   RETURNED." 


"  That  gander  knows  something  he  could  tell  me  if  he  could  talk.  Birds 
have  memories.  He  remembered  the  corn-crib,  —  he  remembered  something 
else.  I  wish  he  could  talk,  poor  bird  !  I  wish  he  could  talk.  I  will  never  sell 
him,  nor  kill  him,  nor  have  him  abused.      He  knows  !" 

Tommy  Toby's  story  of  old  Malabune  and  Acadia  was  followed 
by  a  spirited  rendering  of  a  Revolutionary  song  written  in  or  about 
the  year   1769. 

THE    LIBERTY    SOXG. 


_^_^ 


:£J3E£^E: 


3=f: 


— I — 5/- 


^E^EtgE^ 


*  Come,  join  hand  in  liand,  brave  A-mer  -  i  -  cans  all,  And  rouse  your  bold  hearts  at  fair  Lib-er-  ty's  call ;        No 


::a=:^:^=J: 


izitzt 


'^ — e 


#=^=^=:1=^=f: 


ijzit 


tyrannous  acts  shall  suppress  your  just  claim,  Or  stain  with  dishonor  A  -  mer  -  i  -  ca's  name.     In  freedom  we're  born,  and  in 


freedom  we'll  live  :    Our  purs  -  es  are  ready ;     Steady,  friends,  steady  !  Not  as  slaves,  but  as  freemen,  our  money  we'll  give. 


74  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

Come,  join  hand  in  hand,  brave  Americans  all, 
And  rouse  your  bold  hearts  at  fair  Liberty's  call ; 
No  tyrannous  acts  shall  suppress  your  just  claim, 
Or  stain  with  dishonor  America's  name. 
In  freedom  we  're  born,  and  in  freedom  we  '11  live : 

Our  purses  are  ready  ; 

Steady,  friends,  steady ! 
Not  as  slaves,  but  as  freemen,  our  money  we  '11  give. 

Our  worthy  forefathers  —  let 's  give  them  a  cheer  — 
To  climates  unknown  did  courageously  steer : 
Through  oceans  to  deserts  for  freedom  they  came, 
And,  dying,  bequeathed  us  their  freedom  and  fame. 

In  freedom  we're  born,  etc. 

Their  generous  bosoms  all  dangers  despised, 
So  highly,  so  wisely,  their  birthrights  they  prized; 
We'll  keep  what  they  gave,  we  will  piously  keep. 
Nor  frustrate  their  toils  on  the  land  and  the  deep. 

In  freedom  we're  born,  etc. 

The  tree  their  own  hands  had  to  Liberty  reared 
They  lived  to  behold  growing  strong  and  revered  ; 
With  transport  they  cried,  "Now  our  wishes  we  gain, 
For  our  children  shall  gather  the  fruits  of  our  pain." 

In  freedom  we're  born,  etc. 


Swarms  of  placemen  and  pensioners  soon  will  appear, 
Like  locusts,  deforming  the  charms  of  the  year ; 
Suns  vainly  will  rise,  showers  vainly  descend, 
If  we  are  to  drudge  for  what  others  shall  spend. 

In  freedom  we're  born,  etc. 

Then  join  hand  in  hand,  brave  Americans  all  : 
By  uniting,  we  stand  ;  by  dividing,  we  fall. 
In  so  righteous  a  cause  let  us  hope  to  succeed ; 
For  Heaven  approves  of  each  generous  deed. 

In  freedom  we  're  born,  etc. 


All  ages  shall  speak  witli  amaze  and  apjjlause 
Of  the  courage  we'll  show  in  support  of  our  laws. 
To  die  we  can  bear,  —  but  to  serve  wc  disdain  ; 
For  shame  is  to  freemen  more  dreadful  than  i)ain. 

In  freedom  we're  1  crn,  etc. 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB'S  SONGS  AND  STORIES.  75 

This  bumper  I  crown  for  our  sovereign's  health, 
And  this  for  Britannia's  glory  and  wealth  ; 
That  wealth  and  that  glory  immortal  may  be, 
If  she  is  but  just  and  if  we  are  but  free. 
In  freedom  we  're  born,  and  in  freedom  we  '11  live  ; 

Our  purses  are  ready  ; 

Steady,  friends,  steady! 
Not  as  slaves,  but  as  freemen,  our  money  we  '11  give. 

Herman   Reed  related  a  very  curious  historical  incident :  — 

ANNO    MURIUM,  — THE    YEAR    OF    THE    MICE. 

In  1699  Diervillc,  a  provincial  chronicler,  said:  "Prince  Edward's  Island 
has  a  plague  of  mice  or  locusts  every  seven  years."  The  mouse  plague  is  a 
bygone  misfortune  in  the  Provinces.  It  once  caused  great  distress  from  time 
to  time,  not  only  in  Prince  Edward's  Island,  but  at  Pictou,  Colchester,  and 
Antigonish. 

In  the  spring  of  181 5  a  mouse  plague  fell  upon  Pictou  and  the  surrounding- 
country,  so  that,  instead  of  one  Bishop  Hatto,  there  were  hundreds,  though  the 
victims  had  not,  like  the  cruel  bishop  of  the  Rhine,  been  guilty  of  any  great 
misdeeds,  and  they  had  an  easier  escape. 

The  warm  air  of  May  loosened  the  frost ;  and  just  at  the  time  that  the  earth 
usually  sends  forth  her  flowers,  she  sent  forth  instead,  to  the  astonishment  of 
all  good  people,  jnict:  The  earth  seemed  full  of  mice.  There  were  mouse-holes 
in  all  the  woods  and  fields. 

Where  the  early  violets  had  bloomed  there  were  the  eyes  and  noses  of 
hungry  mice.  The  farmer  went  out  to  his  barn  ;  mice  scampered  off  before 
him  and  followed  after  him.  When  he  went  to  feed  his  pigs  he  would  find  the 
trough  full  of  mice.  The  farmer's  wife  found  them  in  her  cellar,  closet,  and 
sleeping-room.  Cats  and  dogs  guarded  the  barns  ;  but  they  often  retreated 
before  the  attacks  of  the  multitudinous  foe. 

They  were  not  ordinary  mice,  small  and  timid,  but  were  large  and  bold. 
They  are  said  to  have  resembled  rats  more  closely  than  their  own  species. 

As  the  days  grew  warmer,  their  numbers  seemed  to  increase.  They  were  as 
thick  as  grasshoppers  in  August.  They  devoured  every  eatable  thing  that  was 
not  protected  by  watchfulness  and  force. 

The  farmers  would  go  out  to  plant  their  fields.  The  next  morning  they 
would  find  whatever  they  had  put  into  the  ground  had  been  devoured  by  the 
mice.     Corn,  grain,  and  vegetables  alike  disappeared. 


76 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


There  was  a  farmer  in  Merigomisb,  a  bright,  thrifty,  enterprising  man,  who 
expected  to  add  to  his  yearly  income  by  raising  a  fine  crop  of  oats. 

He  prepared  his  field  ;  and  one  morning  he  put  his    sacks    on    board    his 

wagon,  and,  filling  a  large  measure  from 
the  sacks  in  arriving  at  the  field,  he 
went  out  to  sow. 

He  marched  forward  like  a  general ; 
he  scattered  the  oats  to  the 
right  and  left,  in  the  usual 
way ;  and  when  the  oats 
in  his  measure  were  ex- 
hausted, he  turned  about 
to  replenish  the  measure 
from  a  sack  in  the  wagon. 
What  was  his  astonish- 


ment to  find  an  army  f)f  mice  at  his  heels  !  He  was  greatly  enraged.  He 
strode  back  over  the  ground,  but  only  luisks  of  all  the  oats  he  had  sown 
remained. 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB'S  SONGS  AND  STORIES. 


77 


He  cut  down  a  young  birch-tree,  and  made  war  on  the  mice.  He  drove 
them  into  the  walls  and  woods,  and  was  at  last,  as  he  thought,  master  of  the 
field. 

He  began  to  sow  again,  and  continued  the  work  during  the  morning.  At 
noon  he  went  home  for  his  dinner  and  more  oats.  When  he  returned  to  his 
field,  it  seemed,  like  the  wood  in  "Macbeth,"  to  be  moving.  Of  all  the  oats  he 
had  sown  in  the  morning,  not  one  was  left. 

At  last  the  mice  began  to  die  for  want  of  food.  Fields  were  covered  with 
them.  The  air  was  full  of  a  sickening  odor.  The  starving  vermin  in  many 
places  moved  toward  the  sea-coast  in  vast  numbers,  as  there  was  an  abundance 
of  shell-fish  there.  When  they  had  devoured  all  the  shell-fish  they  could  find, 
they  died  there,  and  the  tides  carried  them  away. 

The  mice  not  only  ate  the  fish,  but  the  larger  fish  ate  the  mice.  The  large 
fish  caught  in  the  bays  were  found  to  have  mice  in  their  maws. 

It  is  said  that  there  are  old  people  living  to-day  who  remember  the  Year  of 
the  Mice.  It  was  a  custom  for  many  years  to  speak  of  marriages,  births,  and 
deaths  as  occurring  on  such  or  such  a  date  before  or  after  the  Year  of  the 
Mice.  Browning's  story  "  The  Pied  Piper  of  Hamelin "  is  a  fiction,  as  is 
also  Southey's  "  Bishop  Hatto ;  "  but  this  story  is  substantially  true,  and  yet 
it  has  found  no  poet. 

"  I  am  not  a  story-teller,"  said  Willie  Clifton,  "  but  I  have  found  a 
story  of  the  Provinces  that  has  greatly  interested  me.  It  is  told  in  a 
book  called  "  Tales  of  the  St.  Lawrence,"  written  by  Gardner  B.  Chapin, 
and  published  in  Montreal.  In  relating  the  story  I  shall  use  in  part 
the  language  of  the  author. 

A   FRIGHTENED    CAPTAIN. 

I  once  heard  a  story  of  a  company  of  Home  Guards  in  a  Kentucky  town. 
They  met  for  parade  under  a  pompous  and  ambitious  captain.  The  object  of 
the  organization  was  to  protect  the  town  from  Morgan's  bands  of  foragers. 

"  Shoulder  arms  !  "  said  he,  imperiously.     "  Ground  arms  !"  as  loftily. 
A  negro  appeared  leaping  into  the  parade  ground,  out  of  breath,  but  swinging 
his  hat. 

"  Morgan  —  is  —  coming,"  he  stammered. 

The  captain  gave  one  glance  at  his  company,  and  shouted,  "  Break  ranks  ! '" 
and  break  ranks  they  did,  each  seeking  his  own  safety. 


78  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

It  is  a  somewhat  similar  story  that  I  find  in  the  entertaining  book  of  which 
I  have  spoken. 

WilHam  Johnson  was  one  of  the  so-called  order  of  the  "  Liberators  of 
Canada."  A  provisional  government  had  been  formed,  and  he  had  been  ap- 
pointed Commander  of  the  Fleet. 

On  the  night  of  the  29th  of  May,  1838,  says  Chapin,  the  English  passenger 
steamer  "  Sir  Robert  Peel,"  while  on  a  trip  up  the  river,  stopped  at  a  wooding- 
station  on  Wells'  Island,  near  the  head  of  the  stream  ;  here  it  was  boarded  by 
Johnson,  at  the  head  of  a  score  or  more  of  well-armed  men,  disguised  in  Indian 
costume,  who  at  once  proceeded  to  put  the  passengers  and  crew,  about 
forty  in  number,  ashore,  and  then  to  fire  the  boat,  which  was  soon  burned 
to  the  water's  edge.  This  act  of  hostility  towards  one  government  and  the 
violation  of  the  neutrality  of  the  other  was  productive  of  great  excitement,  — 
a  reward  was  offered  by  the  Governor  of  "the  State  of  New  York  for  his 
apprehension,  and  strenuous  efforts  were  made  by  the  British  military  author- 
ities to  effect  his  capture. 

When  closely  pursued,  Johnson  had  a  secret  place  of  retreat,  that  for  a  long 
time  served  as  a  place  of  concealment,  and  the  knowledge  of  the  locality  of 
which  was  known  but  to  himself  and  a  few  of  his  most  trusted  confederates. 
This  was  a  cavern  upon  one  of  the  almost  innumerable  islands  of  the  archi- 
pelago of  the  river,  sufficiently  capacious  to  serve  as  a  place  of  residence  and 
concealment  for  a  score  of  men,  and  whose  entrance  it  was  very  difficult  for 
one  not  acquainted  with  the  spot  to  discover. 

Stimulated  by  the  rewards  offered,  or  by  a  desire  to  gain  the  plaudits  that 
the  consummation  of  the  act  would  secure,  as  well  as  probable  promotion, 
a  young  and  daring-  English  officer.  Captain  Boyd,  then  in  Canada,  but  un- 
attached, undertook  the  project  of  effecting  the  capture  of  Johnson,  and  pro- 
ceeded in  a  cautious  and  systematic  manner  that  promised  success,  if  that  was 
possible. 

ICnlisting  half  a  score  of  trusty  men,  to  but  a  couple  of  whom,  however,  he  in- 
trusted the  secret  of  his  mission,  he  quietly  started  out  upon  a  cruise  among  the 
islands  in  a  yacht,  under  the  guise  of  a  sportsman.  This  gave  him  sufficient 
excu.sc  for  going  well  armed,  fortune  at  length  rewarded  the  perseverance  of 
Captain  lioyd  ;  and  the  secret  of  the  outlaw's  retreat  was  disclosed  to  him,  as  is 
believed,  by  one  of  Johnson's  band,  to  whom  a  few  gold  pieces  proved  a  stronger 
incentive  than  the  oath  of  fidelity  given  to  his  leader.  He  also  became  cog- 
nizant of  the  fact  that  the  disturber  of  the  peace  was  sojourning  at  the  cave, 
accompanied  by  but  half  a  dozen  followers  ;  and  by  watching  the  opportunity 
Captain  Boyd  was  enabled  not  only  to  surprise  him  when  there  was  but  a  single 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB'S  SONGS  AND   STORIES. 


79 


follower  with  him,  but  to  effect  an  entrance  to  the  cavern  unopposed,  backed  by 
his  men,  who  with  presented  rifles  covered  the  two  inmates. 

The  insurgent  leader  could  not  but  manifest  some  trepidation  at  first  at  this 
very  unexpected  intrusion,  but  almost  at  once  recovered  his  presence  of  mind, 
and  in  a  firm  voice  demanded, — 

"  Who  are  you  ?     What  means  this  ?  " 

"  I  am  Captain  Boyd,  of  the  English  Army,  and  you  are  my  prisoner  !  "  was 
the  prompt  reply. 

"Well,  Captain,  I  will  not  dispute  you,"  returned  Johnson,  coolly;  "but 
come  in,  and  we  will  talk  the  matter  over." 

As  he  spoke,  he  pointed  to  a  seat  upon  a  keg  at  one  side  of  the  cavern, 
which  apartment  was  of  about  ten  feet  in  width  by  something  less  than  forty  in 
length. 

The  captain  accepted  the  proffered  seat,  and  at  a  glance  surveyed  the 
strange  room.  The  view  that  it  presented  was  in  keeping  with  the  character 
and  pursuits  of  those  whose  home  it  was.  Rifles,  powder-flasks,  and  bullet- 
pouches  adorned  the  walls;  at  the  further  end  were  couches  formed  of  branches 
of  evergreens  covered  with  blankets  ;  at  one  side  was  a  rude  fireplace,  the  smoke 
from  which  found  i^-'-  way  upward  through  a  crevice  in  t'he  rocks  above,  while 
the  Dlace  was  lighted  by  day  by  the  aperture  of  a  hollow  tree-trunk  sunk  through 
the  roof  so  skilfullv  that  upon  the  outside  it  appeared  to  have  grown  there. 

The  others  remained  at  the  entrance,  with  rifles  held  ready  to  answer  any 
possible  demonstration  on  the  part  of  the  two  prisoners. 

"  It  is  a  rule,"  resumed  Johnson,  as  he  took  a  bottle  from  a  shelf  in  the  rock, 
"  that  all  persons  who  visit  Fort  Wallace  shall  partake  of  its  hospitalities.  We 
are  plam  people  here,  and  have  no  use  for  the  lu.xuries  of  life,  among  which  we 
rank  glasses  ;  so  be  kind  enough  to  partake  from  the  bottle." 

The  captain,  astonished  at  and  admiring  the  coolness  of  his  captive,  cour- 
teously accepted  it,  and  placed  it  to  his  lips ;  but,  fearful  of  some  ruse,  permitted 
none  of  the  drink  to  pass  them. 

"  Yo?ir  friends''  said  Johnson,  "  will  they  not  partake  .-'  " 

"  No,  thanks,"  returned  the  captain,  smiling  involuntarily  ;  "  not  upon  this 
occasion  ! " 

"We  have  a  little  business  to  transact,  and  I  suppose  that  you  are  impatient, 
and  that  the  subject  is  open  for  remark.  To  commence,  what  do  you  wish 
of  me .''  " 

"To  accompany  me  at  once." 

"  To  what  place,  permit  me  to  inquire  ? "  and  as  he  asked  this  he  seated 
himself  upon  the  head  of  a  barrel  opposite  to  the  captain. 


8o  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  To  whatever  place  we  may  choose  to  convey  you." 

"  To  Kingston,  perhaps  ?  " 

•'  Quite  likely." 

The  captive  appeared  to  reflect  for  a  moment  ;  then  he  walked  toward  the 
fireplace  and  took  from  one  of  his  pockets  a  pipe, 

"  No  objections  to  my  smoking,  I  suppose  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  None  at  all." 

The  outlaw  calmly  proceeded  to  fill  the  pipe  ;  then  he  took  from  the 
embers  a  large  coal  and  placed  it  upon  it,  and,  returning  to  his  seat  upon  the 
barrel,  proceeded  to  give  a  couple  of  invigorating  whiffs. 

"  Come,"  spoke  the  Captain,  "  I  cannot  delay  longer  ;  you  must  come  at 
once." 

Johnson  calmly  removed  the  pipe  from  his  lips  and  held  it  in  his  hand. 

"  I  object  to  accompanying  you  to  Kingston,"  he  said.  "  This  barrel,"  he 
continued,  with  a  meaning  glance,  as  he  observed  the  expression  of  surprise 
upon  the  countenance  of  the  other,  and  removed  one  of  the  boards  of  the 
lid,  "  contains  powder ;  and  this,"  as  he  held  the  pipe  over  it,  "  is  a  coal ! 
Shall  we  make  the  journey.''" 

Brave  as  he  was,  it  is  feared  that  the  adventurous  captain,  as  he  quickly 
comprehended  the  situation,  paled  a  little,  while  his  followers  made  a  rapid  move- 
ment toward  the  entrance  of  the  cavern,  and  sought  safety  in  flight,  save  a 
couple,  more  valiant  than  the  rest,  who  remained  at  the  door  to  keep  Johnson 
and  his  single  follower  covered  with  their  pieces. 

A  pause  succeeded,  —  an  unpleasant  one  for  all,  since  a  spark  from  the  coal, 
or  the  coal  itself,  was  momentarily  liable  to  fall  into  the  barrel  of  powder  and 
usher  them  into  eternity  without  further  warning. 

Johnson  was  the  first  to  speak.  "You  should  have  known.  Captain,"  he 
said,  "  that  William  Johnson  could  never  be  taken  alive  ;  now  we  can  treat  on 
equal  terms,  — a  life  for  a  life,  if  you  so  decide !  " 

"  I  confess  myself  beaten,"  commenced  the  captain,  rising  as  he  spoke. 

"  Keep  your  seat !  "  thundered  Johnson,  handling  the  pipe  menacingly. 

The  captain  resumed  his  place  upon  the  keg. 

"  Now  I  will  listen  to  you,"  said  the  outlaw. 

"  I  was  about  to  say  that  I  was  willing  to  confess  myself  beaten,  and  propose 
that  wc  call  this  a  draw,  —  we  depart,  and  you  remain  in  peace." 

"  That  is  satisfactory,"  rejoined  the  oilier  ;  "  but  hold  a  moment  —  I  lere,  Sam," 
addressing  his  follower,  who  st(jod  a  few  yards  off,  "hand  me  a  coal  from  the 
fire." 

The  man  silently  obeyed.     Johnson  received  it,  while  tlie  others  watched  him 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB'S  SONGS  AND  STORIES. 


83 


apprehensively,  and  placed  it  upon  the  head  of  the  barrel,  a  few  inches  from  the 
powder,  where  it  gleamed  with  vindictive  brightness.  "  The  pipe  is  in  danger 
of  going  out,"  he  said,  in  explanation,  "  and  I  wish  to  keep  another  in  readiness. 
Now,  to  continue,  my  terms  are  that  you  not  only  depart  in  peace,  but  that  you 
give  me  your  word  of  honor  that  you  will  not  again  attempt  to  molest  me  in  any 
manner  unless  you  should  be  called  upon  to  do  so  in  self-defence,  —  that  you 
will  not  disclose  the  secret  of  this  retreat  to  any  one,  and  that  you  will  require 
the  same  pledge  from  each  and  all  of  your  men." 

*'  I  agree  to  them,"  said  the  Captain,  promptly. 

"  And  give  me  your  oath  upon  it  ? "  said  Johnson. 

"  I  do,  upon  the  honor  of  an  officer  of  the  English  army ;  and  now  I 
suppose  that  we  may  depart  ?  " 

The  captain,  rising,  left  the  cavern  as  soon  as  consistent  with  official 
dignity,  preceded  by  the  two  men  who  had  remained  at  the  entrance.  The 
remainder  of  the  party  were  found  a  short  distance  away,  and,  re-entering  their 
boat,  they  took  speedy  departure. 

They  were  quickly  followed  from  the  cave  by  Johnson  and  his  follower, 
rifles  in  hand,  who,  somewhat  distrustful  in  regard  to  the  good  faith  of  their 
late  captors,  hurried  to  a  spot  on  the  island  whence  such  of  their  compan- 
ions as  were  in  the  vicinity  could  be  summoned  by  signal  to  hasten  at  once 
to  the  rendezvous. 

The  signal  had  hardly  been  displayed,  and  the  boat  of  Captain  Boyd  had  not 
disappeared  behind  the  nearest  island,  when  there  was  heard  a  loud  explosion. 
The  cavern  was  blown  up. 

Louis  Robinson  followed  this  curious  provincial  story  by  Chapin 
with  a  narrative  that  received    close    attention. 

"  The  story  that  I  have  to  olTer,"  he  said,  "  would  seem  much  like 
an  attempt  to  create  a  female  Robinson  Crusoe,  were  it  not  true. 
But,  strange  as  they  may  seem,  all  the  incidents  are  true." 

THE  LEGEND  OF  MARGUERITE  AND  THE  ISLE  OF  DEMONS. 

Belle  Isle  and  the  Isle  of  Demons !  The  old  French  voyagers  and  ex- 
plorers welcomed  the  one  and  shunned  the  other.  Among  the  most  thrilling 
tales  told  in  the  halls  of  French  noblemen  was  that  of  the  Isle  of  the  Devils, 
situated  in  the  tossing  sea  on  the  north  of  the  New-Found-Land. 


84 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


The  island  lay  as  it  were  at  the  portal  of  the  unknown  world,  —  a  world  of 
stupendous  boundaries  and  resources,  of  red  nations  and  plumed  chiefs,  of 
cloud-swept  mountains  and  mighty  water-courses.  In  the  bosom  of  almost 
limitless  forests  were  sequestered  clans.  In  the  south  were  lands  of  perpetual 
summer,  festive  peoples,  and  palaces  of  gold. 

The  shores  of  Labrador  and  of  Anticosti  were  dark  and  gloomy,  even  in 
midsummer.     Strange  wild  birds  made  their  nests  there.     The  old  explorers 


f^SJ^^^^ 


Tllli    ISLli   OF    OICMONS. 


believed  that  they  saw  griffins  there,— great  beasts  tliat  (lew  in  the  air,  and 
that  might  bear  away  a  sailor  from  one  of  ihcir  ships. 

IJut  the  Isle  of  Demons  was  the  satanic  world.  The  island^  has 
been  known  in  recent  geograpliy  and  liislory  uikKt  various  names,  as  Lishot, 
■I"hcvet,  Isle  de  Roberval.  A  very  ancient  map  gives  a  picture  of  the  sup- 
po.scd  inhabitants, —  curious  i)coi)le  indeed,  having  wing.s,  horns,  and 
tails. 

The  woods  were  believed  to  In-  haunted.  The  principal  occupation  of  the 
interesting  inhabitants  of  the  island   or  islands,  who  are  depicted  with   heads, 


THE  ZIGZAG  CLUB'S  SONGS  AND   STQJUES. 


«5 


horns,  and  arms  having  wings,  seems  to  have  been  howling.     These  howlings 
were  thought  to  fill  all  the  near  regions  of  the  seas. 

"  True  it  is,"  says  an  eld  adventurer, —  "  and  I  myself  have  heard  it,  not  from 
one,  but  from  a  great  number  of  sailors  and  pilots  with  whom  I  have  made 
voyages,  — that  when  they  passed  this  way  they  heard  in  the  air,  on  the  tops  of 
the  masts  and  about  them,  a  great  clamor  of  voices,  like  a  crowd  in  a  market- 
place.    Then  they  knew  that  the  Isle  of  Demons  was  not  far  away." 

The  same  sounds,  it  is  said,  may  be  heard  near  the  island  to-day  ;  but  the 
most  superstitious  sailor  would  not  think  of  attributing  them  to  anything  but 
the  peculiar  winds  and  currents  of  the  air.  The  wildness  of  the  sea  and  the 
mournfulness  of  the  winds  have  not  changed  ;  but  the  world  has  grown  in  intel- 
ligence, and  in  the  light  of  science  the  demons,  like  the  griffins,  have  disappeared 
from  the  imaginations  of  the  toilers  around  the  Banks. 

There  was  a  certain  voyager,  a  nobleman  of  Picardy,  known  in  history  as 
Sieur  de  Roberval.  He  was  made  a  viceroy  of  New  France  about  the  year 
1542.  He  might  as  well  have  been  made  viceroy  of  the  air  or  the  sea  ;  but  his 
titles  in  this  new  capacity  surpassed  in  pompous  words  those  of  any  noble- 
man in  France.  He  was  Lord  of  Norembega,  Lieutenant-General  of  Canada, 
and  Viceroy  of  Canada,  Hochelaga,  Saguenay,  Newfoundland,  Labrador,  and 
other  places  of  equal  space  on  paper.  He  was  a  man  of  hard  heart ;  the  best 
place  for  him  would  have  been  on  the  desolate  Isle  of  Demons,  which  came 
at  last  to  bear  his  name. 

He  sailed  out  of  the  sunny  harbor  of  Rochelle,  in  April,  1642,  having  three 
ships  and  two  hundred  colonists,  bound  for  the  St.  Lawrence.  In  June  he 
entered  the  harbor  of  St.  John. 

Among  the  passengers  was  a  niece  of  Roberval,  a  young  lady  of  wonderful 
beauty,  who  was  called  Marguerite.  She  had  been  loved,  in  the  bright  province 
whence  she  came,  by  a  gentleman  who  was  ill-regarded  by  Roberval.  When 
this  gentleman  found  that  her  uncle  was  resolved  to  take  her  to  the  new 
world,  he  also  joined  the  expedition,  determined  like  a  true  lover  to  share  the 
perils,  fortunes,  and  fate  of  the  lovely  Marguerite. 

Out  of  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  on  their  way  to  the  wonderful  regions  of  the 
west,  the  lovers  renewed  their  interviews,  and  seemed  to  have  little  thought 
or  care  but  for  each  other's  society.  Roberval  discovered  the  renewed  affection 
with  anger. 

"  I  will  leave  you.  Marguerite,"  he  said,  "  to  die  on  the  Isle  of  Demons." 

"  And  I  will  share  your  fate,"  whispered  her  lover  in  her  ear. 

The  attachment  continued.  The  ship  was  moving  north  toward  the 
haunted  isle.     Winds  began  to  whistle   about  the  tops  of  the  masts,  and  the 


86  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

sounds  were  believed  to  be  evil  spirits'  voices.  Marguerite  believed  the  su- 
perstition, and  she  knew  the  fate  that  awaited  her,  and  began  to  pray  to  the 
Virgin,  who  she  thought  would  espouse  her  cause  and  shield  her  from  the 
dark  spirits  of  the  air. 

The  ship  on  which  were  Roberval  and  Marguerite  drew  near  the  wild 
island  one  summer  day.  Roberval  cast  anchor,  and  compelled  Marguerite  to 
land,  giving  her,  as  a  parting  portion,  a  certain  amount  of  arms  and  provisions 
and  an  old  Norman  nurse  for  an  attendant. 

Roberval  had  resolved  to  sail  away  in  the  fogs  and  shadows,  and  to  take 
with  him  Marguerite's  lover  for  future  revenges.  He  was  delighting  in  his 
power  over  the  crushed  Marguerite,  as  she  stood  weeping  on  the  windy  shore, 
when  a  man  leaped  overboard,  and  was  lost  in  the  foaming  surf.  He  rose 
again,  at  a  point  near  the  shore.  The  sailors  and  emigrants  looked  upon  the 
sea  and  rocks  in  dumb  astonishment.  The  fugitive  reached  the  shore  and 
joined  Marguerite,  and  the  three  fled  into  the  piny  forests  whence  no  French- 
man or  Indian  would  have  dared  to  pursue  them.  The  fugitive  was  the  lover 
of  Marguerite. 

The  exiles  built  them  a  cabin  overlooking  the  restless  sea.  They  heard 
the  north  winds  in  the  pine  tops  at  night,  and  thought  them  the  voices  of 
demons.  When  the  storms  were  gathering  the  voices  were  fearful.  Then 
the  beautiful  Marguerite  would  kneel  and  pray  to  the  Virgin. 

Marguerite's  faith  in  the  Virgin  was  her  comfort  now,  and  that  of  her  lover 
and  companion.  When  the  demons  came  to  destroy  them,  as  the  exiles  fancied 
they  often  did  as  they  heard  the  winds  and  the  bowlings  of  beasts  of  prey. 
Marguerite  looked  upward  to  the  Virgin,  and  thought  she  saw  a  white  hand 
stretch  out  above  her.     Then  all  was  peace. 

The  exiles  gathered  eggs  and  berries  in  summer,  and  nuts  in  autumn.  The 
woods  were  filled  with  game,  and  the  sea  with  fish  ;  and  they  laid  in  a  good 
supply  of  food  for  the  winter. 

The  winter  came.  They  had  watched  the  sea  for  a  sail,  but  none  had 
appeared.  Strange  gaunt-looking  animals  began  to  prowl  about  the  cabin,  such 
as  they  had  never  seen  in  France.     They  believed  them  to  be  demons. 

When  the  bowlings  of  these  animals  became  fearful  at  night,  Marguerite 
^would  l>ray,  and  she  would  see  the  whiti-  hand  ;  and  thrn  iIk-  exiles  wouUl  rest 
in  peace  and  comfort. 

(Jvcr  Marguerite's  ])rayers,  as  she  believed,  dropped  tlie  wliite  liantl  of  the 
Virgin  like  a  heavenly  lily,  and  the  heaven  of  her  heart  shone  serenely  over  the 
wild  skies  and  demon-haunted  islands  and  seas. 

Winter    vanishetl.     The  soft    sjjring   came.     The  June  roses    Ijloomed.     A 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB'S  SONGS  AND  STORIES. 


87 


child  was  born  to  Marguerite.  Tliey  were  four 
now,  —  five,  if  one  could  believe  Marguerite's  own 
narrative  of  the  presence  of  the  Virgin. 

The  hardships  of  the  winter  had  broken  the 
health  of  the  follower  of  her  strange  fortunes,  and 
he  did  not  have  that  faith  in  the  white  hand  that 
made  Marguerite  so  strong  and  hopeful.  He 
grew  thin,  and,  consumed  by  fevers,  died  in  the 
summer  time,  craving  life  for  the  sake 
of  the  mother  and  child. 

The  old  Norman  nurse  and  Mar- 
guerite made  his  grave  where  they 
could  watch  it  and  guard  it  from  the 
beasts  and  demons.  The  burial  was 
such  as  has  seldom  been  seen, —  two 
women  and  the  infant  stood  above 
the  cofifinless  body,  and  the  old  nurse 


jWJ^ 


f5^>''^' 


88  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

wrung  her  hands,  and  the  mother  repeated  the  ancient  prayers.  The  beasts 
prowled  around  the  cabin,  the  mysterious  voices  were  heard  in  the  air  ;  but 
Marguerite  still  trusted  and  prayed,  and  looked  hopefully  out  on  the  empty 
sea,  and  still  dreamed  that  she  saw  the  white  hand  of  the  Virgin. 

The  child  died.  The  grave  was  made  beside  the  father's.  The  mourners 
were  two. 

The  old  Norman  nurse  died.  There  was  but  one  to  dig  the  grave  and 
one  mourner  now. 

Marguerite  was  alone  —  alone,  as  she  believed,  with  the  demons.  But  as 
often  as  they  came,  she  prayed,  and  as  often  the  fancied  white  hand  appeared. 

Bears  prowled  around  the  cabin  and  tried  to  enter.  She  thought  them 
monsters.     She  says  that  she  killed  three  that  were  white. 

She  watched  the  three  graves  and  the  helpless  sea.  She  again  saw  the 
snows  melt,  and  the  birds  return  from  the  suns  of  the  south. 

One  day  she  saw  afar  a  speck  on  the  water.  It  was  the  boat  of  some  fish- 
ermen. She  kindled  fires  and  fed  them.  The  boatmen  saw  them,  and  came  to 
the  island.     They  carried  Marguerite  away. 

She  returned  to  France  and  told  her  melancholy  story  to  her  courtly  friends, 
who  welcomed  her  back.  She  died  in  peace,  led  to  Paradise,  as  she  doubtless 
believed,  by  the  white  hand  in  which  she  had  trusted  in  her  forest  cabin. 

What  was  the  fate  of  Roberval  .-* 

The  Canadian  winter  followed  him.  With  it  came  famine  to  the  colony, 
then  pestilence.  But  misfortunes  and  disasters  only  served  to  harden  his 
heart.  He  governed  with  an  iron  hand.  He  hung  six  men  in  one  day  ;  the 
whipping-post  was  kept  in  constant  use  ;  he  banished  some  who  displeased 
him  to  desolate  islands  ;  others  he  put  in  fetters.  The  colony  came  to  speedy 
ruin.  Roberval  returned  to  France  overwhelmed  with  his  calamities,  even 
before  poor  Marguerite  found  her  way  back  over  the  sea. 

.Still  he  retained  the  favor  of  the  Court. 

Years  passed.  One  night  there  was  a  murder  near  the  Church  of  the 
Innocents  in  the  heart  of  Paris.  The  tragedy  sent  a  thrill  of  excitement 
through  the  streets.  The  dying  victim  saw  no  white  liaiul  in  the  gathering 
shadows  of  deatli.  There  was  a  red  hand  in  liis  dreams;  he  must  have  felt  the 
end  was  but  the  fruit  of  his  own  deeds,  the  result  of  his  own  example  and 
conduct,  whatever  may  have  been  the  immediate  cause  or  whoever  may  have 
struck  the  blow.     It  was  Roberval. 

Other  stories  were  told  by  members  of  the  Club  ;  hwi  we  have  not 
space  for  them   here. 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB'S  SONGS  AND   STORIES.  89 

The  exercises  were  closed  by  an  original  poem,  written  by  Louis 
Robinson  and  spoken  by  Charlie  Noble.  Each  verse  ended  with  a 
chorus  that  was  rather  mixed  in  idioms,  but  put  every  one  in  good 
humor. 

OUR    BROTHER    LANDS. 

I  stood  beside  the  Rhine. 

The  night  was  falling  dark; 
The  student  clubs  were  singing 
In  the  gardens  and  the  park. 
Then  said  the  youna^  Bavarians, 
"Join  our  chorus  if  you  can." 
But  I  could  only  answer  them, 
"  Ich  bin  American." 
"  Ich  bin  American  ? 

Bravo  America  ! 
It  is  our  brother  land, 

Bravo  America  ! 
She  's  the  country  of  the  free, 

The  friend  of  every  man ; 
Here  's  a  heart  and  hand  for  thee, 
Er  ist  American  !  " 

I  saw  the  snowy  Alps 

By  sunset  bridges  spanned, 
And  over  fair  Lucerne 

Night  stretched  her  jewelled  hand. 
"  Sing  with  us  the  Edelweiss  ;  " 

And  the  Alpine  song  began. 
But   I   could  only  answer  them, 
"Je  suis  American." 
"Je  suis  American.'' 

Viva  America  ! 
It  is  our  brother  land. 

Viva  America  ! 
She  's  the  country  of  the  free, 

The  friend  of  every  man  ; 
Here  's  a  heart  and  hand  for  thee, 
I)  est  American." 

In  Italy's  deep  lakes 

We  dipped  our  silvered  oars. 
And  cleft  the  shadowy  peaks 

That  were  glassed  from  Como's  shores. 


QQ  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


"Sing  for  us  a  barcarole," 

Said  the  boatmen  on  the  way. 
"Sono  Americano," 
Was  all  that  I  could  say. 
"  Sono  Americano  ?  " 

Viva  America  ! 
It  is  our  brother  land, 

Viva  America  ! 
She 's  the  country  of  the  free, 

The  friend  of  every  man  ; 
Here  's  a  heart  and  hand  for  thee, 
Lui  American  !  " 

From  terraces  of  Basle 

I  gazed  o'er  Jura's  plain; 
They  were  singing  the  old  ballads 

Of  Alsace  and  Lorraine. 
Then  said  the  gay  Alsatians, 

"  Sing  for  freedom,  if  you  can.' 
But  I  could  only  say  again, 
"Je  suis  American." 
*' Je  suis  American  ? 

Viva  America ! 
It  is  our  brother  land, 

Viva  America  ! 
She  's  the  country  of  the  free, 

The  friend  of  every  man  ; 
Here's  a  heart  and  hand  for  thee, 
II  est  Americdn.'" 

Above  Granada's  towers 

High  rose  the  sun  of  night  ; 
And  mid  the  evening's  splendor 

They  danced  to  music  light. 
They  called  me  to  the  merry  throng  ; 

I   sadly  turned  away. 
"Yo  soy   Americano" 

Was  all  that  I  could  say. 
"  Yo  soy  Americ;ino  ? 

Viva  America  ! 
It  is  our  brot!u;r  land, 

Viva  America  I 
She's  the  country  of  the  free, 

The  friend  of  every  man  ; 
Here's  a  h'-aii  ami   liand   for  thee, 
Ki  es  Anicrii  .111  1  " 


THE  ZIGZAG   CLUB^S  SONGS  AND  STORIES.  9 1 

He  may  wander  by  the  Rhine, 

He  may  wander  by  the  Rhine, 
In  the  old  and  storied  lands 

Of  Alp  or  Apennine  ; 
But  wherever  be  his  way, 

Royal  greetings  wait  the  man 

Whose  honest  lips  can  say, 

"  I  am  American." 

II  est  American, 

Viva  America! 

Er  ist  American, 

Bravo  America  ! 
Brother  hearts  and  brother  hands 

Shall  welcome  him  afar  ; 
For  all  lands  are  the  brother  lands 
Of  our  own  America. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

CARDINAL    RICHELIEU'S    DREAM    OF    NEW   FRANCE. 

Champlain's  Story  of  his  Surprise  of  Father  Joseph  on  the  Shores  of 

Lake  Huron. 


HHE  study  of  the  early  history  of  Canada  proved  to 
the  Class  a  romance,  as  Master  Lewis  had  pre- 
dicted. The  teacher  added  the  works  of  School- 
craft to  the  books  already  mentioned  that  he  had 
desired  the  class  to  read. 

"  Schoolcraft,"  he  said,  "  will  give  you  a  view  of 
the  part  that  the  Indians  played  in  this  threefold  drama  of  history." 

At  one  of  the  recitations  the  teacher  unexpectedly  brought  before 
the  students  a  very  interesting  and  dramatic  figure  of  history. 

"Henry  IV.,"  he  said,  "married  for  his  second  wife  Mary  de' 
Medici.  His  son,  Louis  XIII.,  a  mere  lad,  succeeded  him,  with  Mary 
de'  Medici  as  regent.  Mary  was  a  Florentine,  and  she  had  brought 
from  Florence,  at  the  time  of  her  marriage,  her  most  intimate  friends, 
Concino  Concini,  and  his  wife,  Leonora  Galigai.  The  latter  were 
vulgar,  ambitious  people,  without  personal  worth,  brilliant,  magnetic, 
emotional,  vain. 

"Strange  were  the  days  of  the  old  kings,  and  we  cannot  wonder 
that  there  were  revolutions.  Here  we  find  the  great  French  nation 
governed  by  an  Italian  woman,  and  herself  influenced  in  matters  of 
state  by  her  own  servants  ;  for  such  lur  Italian  favorites  were.  Leo- 
nora  Galigai   was    the    daughter    of    an    old    Italian    nurse;    and    the 


CONCINI,    LEONORA   GALIGAI,    AND   MARY   DE'    MEDICI. 


CARDINAL  RICHELIEU'S  DREAM  OF  NEW  FRANCE.  95 

strange  circumstances  I  have  given  put  under  her  influence  the  whole 
French  nation. 

"  The  husband  of  Leonora  turned  his  position  at  Court  to  his 
own  private  profit,  and  became  very  rich.  He  purchased  for  himself 
the  Marquisate  of  Ancre  ;  and  Mary  made  him  Marshal  of  France. 
Think  of  it,  —  a  Florentine  adventurer  made  Marshal  of  France 
because  he  had  married  a  favorite  servant  of  an  Italian  wife  of  a 
king! 

"  '  I  have  learned  to  know  the  world,'  he  said.  '  When  I  came  to 
France,  I  was  not  worth  a  sou,  and  I  owed  eight  thousand  crowns. 
My  marriage  and  the  queen's  favor  have  given  me  office  and  honor.' 

"  This  pompous  man.  Marshal  d'Ancre,  aspired  to  be  the  guardian 
of  the  boy  king,  Louis  XIH. 

"  Louis  had  one  intimate  friend,  Albert  de  Luynes,  an  expert  in 
the  training  of  birds  for  hunting.  The  young  king  made  him  his 
falconer. 

"  One  day  the  king  and  Marshal  d'Ancre  were  playing  at  billiards 
together. 

" '  I  hope  your  Majesty  will  allow  me  to  wear  my  hat,'  said  the 
proud  marshal,  with  a  cool  indifference  to  the  etiquette  of  the  Court, 
which  all  noblemen  observed. 

"  The  young  king  did  not  object ;  but  Albert  de  Luynes  was 
offended  at  the  Italian's  insolence.  He  probably  set  on  foot  a  plot 
for  the  marshal's  assassination. 

"It  became  known  at  Court  that  the  young  king  desired  to  be  free 
from  the  Florentine's  influence. 

"  One  day  an  army  officer  of  rank  came  to  the  king,  and  said,  — 

" '  You  are  now  King  of  France.     Marshal  d'Ancre  is  dead.' 

"  But  amid  weak,  cruel,  degrading  scenes  like  these,  a  young  man 
was  rising  like  a  giant  who  was  to  reduce  the  king  and  the  regent 
to  virtual  slavery  to  his  own  will,  who  was  to  govern  France  for 
twenty  years  and   influence   all    the   powers  of  Europe.      He  was  tc 


96  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

be  in  peace  what  Napoleon  afterwards  was  in  war.  His  career  serves 
to  show  how  genius  climbs  to  a  throne  over  the  thrones  of  kings. 
This  man,  nothing  but  a  monk,  gained  the  mastery  not  only  of 
France  and  the  French  provinces,  but  of  nearly  all  Europe,  by  an 
all-powerful  will  and  the  mere  force  of  genius  for  governing. 

"  Let  us  look  at  his  first  advent  into  political  life. 

"At  the  convocation  of  the  states-general  in  1614,  there  appeared 
among  the  delegates  a  young  bishop,  Armand  de  Richelieu.  He 
was  born  in  1585,  and  was  then  twenty-eight  years  old.  He  had 
already  won  the  admiration  of  the  Pope  by  a  brilliant  Latin  oration 
in  Rome.     He  was  consecrated  Bishop  at  Rome. 

"  He  was  a  worldly  prelate,  fond  of  pomp  and  power.  He  ex- 
hibited a  very  strange  spirit  for  a  minister  of  'Christ  on  entering 
upon  his  duties  as  bishop  in  an  humble  see. 

" '  I  should  very  much  like  to  make  more  s/iozu,  he  wrote  to  one 
of  his  fair  friends ;  '  but  what  can  I  do }  No  house,  no  carnage,  I 
must  borrow  a  coach,  horses,  and  a  coachman,  in  order  to  arrive  at 
Lucon  with  a  decent  turn-out' 

"  We  may  hope  that  when  he  did  arrive  at  his  diocese  with 
his  borrowed  coachman,  the  people  placed  a  true  value  upon  the 
spectacle. 

"  He  was  able  to  make  more  show  after  his  election  to  the  states- 
general.  He  here  began  to  exercise  those  arts  of  dij^lomacy  that  at 
last  made  him   the  master  of  kings. 

"  lie  had  magnetic  eloquence.  His  tongue  was  able  to  charm  the 
great,  and  he  sought  the  audic-nce  of  nobles.  He  began  to  champion 
the  idea  that  prelates  were  not  sufficiently  recognized  by  sovereigns, 
nor  fluly  consulted  in  state  councils. 

"  liut  at  the  same  time  and  in  the  same  breath  he  ])aid  a  glowing 
tribute  to  the  great  wisdom  of  the  \'oung  king  in  intrusting  the 
affairs  of  state  to  his  mother.  He  accomplished  three  things  at  one 
stroke,   by   this    biilliant    address,-    he    |)leased    the    young   king;     he 


LOUIS    XIII.    AND    ALBERT    DE    LL'YNES. 


CARniNAL   RICHELIEU'S   DREAM   OE  NEW  ERANCE.  99 

delighted  the  queen  mother;  and  he  led  Mary,  agreeing  that  prelates 
should  be  more  consulted  in  affairs  of  state,  to  invite  him  to  take  up 
his  residence  at  Court  as  her  almoner.  The  foolish  woman,  who  had 
not  yet  learned  that  a  flatterer  never  has  a  true  heart  or  purpose, 
little  dreamed  what  she  was  doing.  You  shall  be  told  how  it 
ended  at  last. 

"  The  new  almoner  made  his  first  intimacy  at  Court  with  the 
pompous  Marshal  d'Ancre,  then  the  favorite  of  the  queen-regnant. 
When  the  marshal  was  assassinated,  the  good  bishop  made  his  next 
intimacy  with  the  young  king's  favorite,  Albert  de  Luynes,  who  had 
brouo^ht  about  the  marshal's  overthrow  and  death.  He  had  received 
from  the  marshal  the  offfce  of  Secretary  of  State  and  of  War  for  For- 
eign Affairs;  but  this  was  nothing,  now  the  marshal  was  no  more. 

"  After  the  death  of  her  Italian  favorite,  Mary  de'  Medici  retired 
to  Blois.  Richelieu  asked  the  young  king's  leave  to  follow  her 
there. 

" '  I  can  make  myself,'  he  said,  '  more  useful  to  your  Majesty 
there  than  in  any  other  position.' 

"  The  king  knew  this  to  be  true.  Richelieu  would  use  his  in- 
fluence over  Mary  in  his  behalf.      He  was  sent  to  Blois. 

"  It  would  take  a  volume  to  describe  all  the  arts  by  which  this 
prelate  of  soaring  ambition  gained  complete  mastery  over  the  mind 
of  the  young  king.  But  this  he  accomplished  in  the  end,  and,  driv- 
ing Mary  into  exile,  became  the  virtual  sovereign  of   France. 

"Louis  XIII.  was  a  weak  king.  He  associated  with  his  falconer, 
who  profited  every  way  that  he  could  by  the  association.  The  king 
said  to  him  one  day,  — 

" '  I  never  saw  one  person  with  so  many  relatives.  They  come 
to  the  Court  in  ship-loads,  and  not  one  of  them  has  a  silk  dress.' 

"  Affairs  of  state  he  left  wholly  to  Richelieu.  Listless  and  irreso- 
lute, he  did  not  feel  that  a  born  king  should  be  burdened  with  the 
cares-  of  state-craft.      What  the  cardinal  advised,  he  did. 


lOO  ZIGZAG    JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  One  or  two  stones  of  the  ambitious  cardinal  will  serve  to  show 
how  he  retained  the  power  that  he  so  craftily  obtained. 

"  Mary  de'  Medici,  finding  that  Richelieu's  influence  over  the  king 
had  supplanted  her  own,  resolved,  in  1630,  to  secure  the  cardinal's 
dismissal  from  affairs  of  state,  by  aw^akening  the  king's  jealousy  and 
incitino-  him  to  a  more  ambitious  use  of  the  roval  power.  She 
followed  her  son  wherever  he  went,  and  ceased  not  to  denounce  the 
ambition  of  the  cardinal. 

"  Richelieu  began  to  suspect  that  he  was  distrusted  by  Mary, 
and  to  fear  that  a  conspiracy  against  him  would  grow  out  of  the 
o-reat  intimacy  that  had  been  renewed  between  the  royal  mother  and 
her  weak  son. 

"  The  king  and  Mary  were  at  Luxembourg,  a  palace  which  Mary 
had  just  finished  and  furnished.  It  was  November  12.  The  cardinal 
was  supposed  to  be  at  the  capital  attending  to  a  crisis  of  affairs  grow- 
ing out  of  difTficulties  in   Italy. 

"  There  appeared  suddenly,  at  the  gates  of  the  new  palace,  a  tall 
dark  man.  He  entered.  He  went  to  the  door  of  the  council  chamber 
and  knocked.  No  one  answered.  He  knocked  at  the  door  of  the 
cabinet,  but  still  met  with   no  response. 

"  He  pushed  his  way  into  the  private  chapel. 

"  Mary  and  the  king  were  there. 

"  As  soon  as  Mary  beheld  the  cardinal  her  heart  sunk  within  lier. 

"'  Here  he  is,'  said  the  shallow  king,  in  a  tone  of  despair. 

'"You  were  talking  of  me',  said  the  cardinal  to  Mary,  as  though 
such  an  act  would  be  treason. 

"  Mary  cowered  before  the  piercing  eyes  and  llic  tall  dark  form. 

'"  I  am  sure  you  were  talking  of  mc.' 

" '  We  were  not,'  said   Mary. 

"  The  cardinal,  who  seldom  failed  to  worm  out  a  secret,  assumed 
his   clerical   dignity,  and   said, — 

" '  Confess  it.' 


MURDER    OF    .MARSHAL    D'AXCRE. 


CARDINAL   RICHELIEU'S  DREAM   OF  NEW  FRANCE. 


103 


"  His  manner  was  resolute. 

"  '  Yes,'  said  Mary,  weakly. 

"  The  confession  was  the  turning-point  of  her  destiny. 

"  '  I  will  never  see  tlie  cardinal  again,'  she  said  after  the  confession, 
'nor  any  of  his  relatives  and  friends.     He  shall  be  dismissed.' 

"  The  cardinal  had  made  a  like  resolution  in  regard  to  his  former 
benefactress. 

"  After  this  surprise  the  enemies  of  the  cardinal  flocked  to  the 
Luxembourg.  Louis  XUI.  considered  the  political  situation.  The 
affairs  of  state  were  so  in  the  hands  of  the  cardinal,  and  all  the  public 
departments  were  so  under  his  control,  that  he  dared  not  dismiss 
him. 

"  He  sent  for  the  cardinal.  During  the  interview  the  latter 
asserted  his  terrible  power,  and  gained  a  complete  mastery  over  the 
mind  of  the  king.  The  day  of  the  conference  became  famous  as 
Dupe's  Day.  As  the  result,  Mary  de'  Medici  fled  from  France ;  and 
the  ambitious  woman  never  saw  her  son  aoain.  Her  life  was  bliehted 
from  the  moment  the  dark  form  of  the  cardinal  entered  the  palace. 
She  died,  wretched  and  poor,  at  Cologne. 

"  Twelve  years  afterwards,  another  conspiracy  was  set  on  foot 
against  the  cardinal.  Among  the  favorites  of  Louis  was  Cinq-Mars, 
whom  he  had  made  his  grand-equerry.  He  was  brilliant,  witty, 
handsome,  and  independent.  The  weak  king  formed  an  attachment 
for  him,  —  an  affection  that  became  silly  and  capricious.  Louis  used 
to  confide  to  the  cardinal  the  secrets  of  this  friendship.  Cinq-Mars 
seems  at  least  to  have  had  a  certain  amount  of  self-respect,  and  often 
refused  to  yield  to  the  tempers  of  the  king. 

" '  I  am  very  sorry,'  wrote  the  king  to  Richelieu,  '  to  trouble  you 
with  the  ill  feelings  of  M.  le  Grand.  I  upbraided  him,  but  he 
answered  that  he  could  not  change.  I  said  that,  considering  his 
obligations  to  me,  he  ought  not  to  address  me  in  that  manner.  He 
answered  that  he  did  not  want  my  kindness,  that  he  could  do  very 


I04  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

well  without  it,  and  that  he  would  be  quite  as  content  to  be   Cinq- 
Mars  as  M.  le  Grand.' 

"  This  fascinating  nobleman  did  his  best  to  make  the  king  sus- 
picious of  the  influence  of  the  cardinal.  He  probably  arranged  a 
plot  for  tlie  cardinal's  destruction,  and  hoped  to  profit  by  his  over- 
throw. The  king  gave  a  ready  ear  to  his  favorite,  and  is  believed 
at  first  to  have  favored  the  plot. 

"  But  if  he  did,  his   thoughts   reacted  as  before.      In  a  few  days 
the  Court  was  astonished  at  the  intelligence  that  the  king  had  ordered 
the  arrest  of  Cinq-Mars,  Grand  Equerry  of  France. 
"  Shortly  after  the  king  wrote  to  Richelieu,  — 

" '  I  love  you  more  than  ever.     We  have  been  too  long  together 
ever  to  be  separated  ;  and  I  wish  everybody  to  understand  it." 
"  When  he  was  accused  of  being  false  to  Cinq-Mars,  he  said,  — 
'"I  listened,  and  seemed  to  favor  his  plans  in  order  to  find  out 
all  that  was  in  his  wicked  heart.' 

"  The  friendship  of  intellect  is  more  powerful  than  that  of  passion, 
as  Cinq-Mars  saw  as  he  marched  to  his  death. 

"  Richelieu  is  termed,  in  the  history  and  philosophy  of  politics,  an 
Absolutist.  By  the  term  is  meant  an  advocate  of  the  absolute  power 
of  the  king.  He  believed  that  kings  were  the  divinely  appointed 
agents  of  government.  It  was  his  aim  to  make  the  power  of  the 
iM-cnch  king  absolute.  y\s  a  result  of  his  policy  to  this  end,  Louis 
XIV.  was  able  to  say,  '  I  am  the  State,'  and  Louis  XV.  was  called 
'  France.' 

"The  government  during  the  great  reign  of  Henry  W.Henrz 
Ouatre,  as  he  was  called  —  was  greatly  influenced  by  the  nobles  and 
the  people.  The  Edict  of  Nantes,  giving  all  men  liberty  of  worship, 
was  an  advance  toward  republicanism.  it  was  the  aim  of  Richelieu 
to  change   this   j)olicy,   to  crush   out    this  growing   freedom. 

"You  have  heard  much  about  ihc  policy  and  statesmanship  of 
Richelieu.      What  was  it.'* 


LOUIS    XTII 


CARDINAL   RICHELIEU'S  DREAM   OF  NEW  FRANCE.  iqj 

"  There  were  parliaments  in  the  provinces  of  France.  These 
made  local  laws,  much  like  our  legislatures.  It  was  the  policy  of 
Richelieu   to   take   from    these   their  independent  power. 

"  There  was  feudalism  in  France,  —  lords  who  were  supreme  rulers 
of  vast  estates.  It  was  the  policy  of  Richelieu  to  crush  these  feudal 
rivals  of  the  throne. 

"  There  was  a  party  in  France  called  the  Huguenots.  They  were 
Protestant  Calvinists,'  and  had  become  a  political  power.  Richelieu 
did  not  meddle  with  freedom  of  worship.  He  has  been  called  the 
Huguenot  Cardinal.  But  he  believed  that  the  Huguenots,  as  a 
political  power,  were  dangerous  to  the  throne.  He  determined  to 
crush  the  party  as  well  as  the  parliaments,  and  the  exercise  of  inde- 
pendent power  by  feudal  lords. 

"  Thus,  to  make  the  king  absolute  was  the  one  idea  of  Richelieu. 

"  Louis  XIII.  knew  the  value  of  such  a  minister.  Louis  loved 
the  reputation  of  being  a  powerful  ruler.  To  Richelieu  he  sacrificed 
his  mother  and  friends.  To  him  he  surrendered  the  government 
wholly ;  and  Richelieu  returned  him  a  puissant  throne  and  a  splendid 
name  among  the  courts  of  the  age. 

"It  was  night  at  Fontainebleau.  The  old  chateau  of  France  had 
grown  in  splendor  for  a  hundred  years.  It  was  a  forest  palace  now, — 
a  favorite  resort  of  the  king,  nobles,  and  ministers  of  state.  In  the 
moonlight  nights  gayly  lighted  boats  drifted  by  it,  and  troubadours 
played  under  its  windows. 

"  The  cardinal  was  at  Fontainebleau.  The  Court  and  nobles  were 
there.  Astrals  blazed  in  the  halls,  and  the  nobles  were  making  merry 
in  the  banquet  room  and  council  chamber. 

" '  We  have  a  new  arrival,'  said  a  courtier  to  the  cardinal.  • 

"  '  Who  ? ' 

"  '  The  knis^ht-errant,  is  he  not  .^  or  onlv  an  adventurer  .'*  Samuel 
de  Champlain,  the  old  story-teller  of  the  Court  of  Henri  Ouatre.' 

'"Ask  him  in,'  said  Richelieu. 


io8 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


"  In  a  few  minutes  the  old  voyager  on  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the 
explorer  of  the  mighty  lake  that  is  to  eternally  bear  his  name 
appeared,  and  was  courteously  received  by  the  cardinal  and  nobles. 

"  The  names  of  Champlain  and  Richelieu  are  linked  in  fame.  The 
river  Richelieu  connects  the  great  lake  with  the  St.  Lawrence. 

"  The  old  voyager  was  again  asked  to  relate  some  new  episode  of 
his  romantic  adventures.     This  he  did  somewhat  as  follows:  — 


PLANTING    THE   CROSS    IN    NEW    I-AXDS. 


"'May  it  please  your  Eminence,  I  will  speak  of  my  recent  ad- 
ventures in  those  regions  that  seem  to  have  no  boundaries  or  limits, 
that  lie  in  the  maivcllous  empire  of  the  West.  The  great  fresh- 
water sea  of  11k'  Ilurons  is  there;  and  it  has  been  my  privilege  to 
jjlant  there  the  Hag  of  the  i^1eur-de-lis  beside  the  Cross.  It  will  be 
a  glorious  day  for  liance  wjien  she  shall  peo})le  this  wonderful 
empire  and  make  tributary  its  numberless  tribes,  and  when  the  T^leur- 
de-lis  shall  flcjat  over  every  harbor  and  tlu-  Cross  shall  shine  over 
every  town.  Wider  Ihan  l^uropc  will  be  the  domain.  The  glory 
of   the   new   empire   will    ii\al    the   old. 


CINQ-MARS    AND    DE   THOU    GOING   TO    EXECUTION. 


CARDINAL   RICHELTFM'S  DREAM   OF  NEW  FRANCE.  j  i  i 


JESUIT    MlbSIOXAKY    ADDRESSING    THE    INDIANS. 

" '  You  all  remember  my  departure  for  the  West  with  the   Recol- 
lets,  those  noble  champions  of  the  Cross.     We  were  blessed  by  his 


i  I  2 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


Holiness,  the  Pope,  and  honored  by  our  most  gracious  king.  The 
bishops,  cardinals,  and  nobles  loaded  us  with  favors,  with  vestments 
for  our  altars  and  candles  for  our  shrines. 

" '  Father  Joseph  le  Charon  accepted  as  his  mission  field  the 
country  of  the  Hurons.  He  had  no  sooner  arrived  at  Quebec  than 
he  became  impatient  to  go  to  his  field  in  the  wilderness. 

'"  In  the  fall  a  great  multitude  of  Indians  gather  at  Montreal  for 
trade.     The  Huron  chiefs  come  there. 

'"  Thither  hurried  Father  Joseph,  hoping  to  gain  a  knowledge  of 
the  language  of  the  Hurons,  and  to  learn  much  in  regard  to  the 
regions  of  the  gi-eat  inland  seas. 

" ' "  I  shall  winter  among  the  Indians,"  said  he. 

" '  I  spoke  to  him  of  the  hardships  and  perils  of  such  a  life. 

" '  "  What,"  he  said,  "  are  privations  to  me,  who  have  devoted  my 
life  to  poverty  and  who  have  no  ambition  but  to  serve  God } " 

" '  I  left  him  among  the  traders,  and  promised  to  return. 

'"When  I  went  back  to  Montreal,  the  Indians  were  gone  to  the 
country  of  the  great  seas,  and  Father  Joseph  had  gone  with  them. 

" '  I  wislied  to  see  the  country  of  the  Hurons.  I  w^as  told  that  it 
was  a  land  of  majestic  lakes  and  calm  and  beautiful  seas.  The  river 
Ottawa  led  to  it.  1  resolved  to  follow  Father  Joseph,  and  to  surprise 
jiim  in  his  forest  home. 

"'It  was  summer.  1  launched  my  canoe  on  the  Ottawa.  I  pad- 
dled along  under  the  shadows  of  lofty  mountains.  The  stream  was 
calm  ;  llie  days  were  resplendent,  and  the  forest  the  most  noble  I  ever 
beheld.      Ten  Indians,  a  companion,  and  an  interpreter  went  with  me. 

"'I  came  at  last  in  sight  of  the  great  inland  ocean.  It  was 
calm,  noble,  and  beautiful.  There  is  no  scene  like  it  in  lu-ance. 
"  (jlorious,"  we  called  it,  and  .so  it  is,  —  the  ocean  of  the  Hurons,  far, 
far  in  the  West. 

'"The  Indians  had  heard  of  Father  Joseph.  They  consented  to 
•  onduct  me  to  his  mission.      I  longed  to  see  the  true   Cross  towering 


CARDINAL   RICHELIEU'S  DREAM  OF  NEW  FRANCE.  115 

over  the  blue  sea,  and  to  plant  beside  it  the  Lilies  of  France.  We 
hurried  on. 

" '  The  land  was  one  of  beauty  and  abundance.  In  the  openings  of 
the  great  forest  were  maize  fields,  over  which  the  glowing  sun  poured 
its  splendors  and  the  lake  winds  blew.  Here  and  there  were  patches 
of  pumpkins,  and  gardens  of  sunflowers. 

" '  We  came  to  Otonacha,  where  were  the  lodges  of  the  mighty 
nation.  I  was  received  as  a  champion  of  the  tribe,  and  in  the  great 
lodge  of  the  place  I  was  entertained  by  a  feast  at  which  were  assem- 
bled the  chief  men,  who  presented  a  scene  of  barbaric  luxury  and 
splendor. 

" '  I  was  escorted  in  a  kind  of  triumphal  procession  to  Carhagonha. 
It  was  the  fortress  of  the  Hurons.  It  consisted  of  a  triple  palisade 
some  thirty-five  feet  high,  where  dwelt  the  warriors  and  where  were 
stored  their  arms  and  resources  of  war.  The  fortress  swarmed  with 
gayly  plumed  defenders.  Here  again  I  w^as  received  as  a  champion. 
Feast  after  feast  was  spread  for  me  ;  rude  instruments  of  music 
sounded,  and  there  were  fantastic  dances  under  the  August  moon. 

" '  In  the  midst  of  the  festivities  I  saw  a  band  of  Indians  approach- 
ing the  place  in  grave  and  stately  demeanor.  They  were  followed  by 
a  tall  form  in  a  dark  robe.  Behind  him  were  a  band  of  men  whom  I 
knew  to  be  Europeans. 

" '  As  the  august  company  came  into  a  nearer  view,  the  dark-robed 
man  hurried  forward.  He  seemed  chanting  a  Te  Dacm,  and  to  be 
filled  with  inexpressible  joy.  The  band  of  Indians  divided,  and  the 
tall  man   rushed  into  my  arms. 

"'"Father  Joseph,"  I  said,  "defender  of  the  Cross,  Providence  has 
sent  me  hither  !  " 

" ' "  Champlain,  defender  of  the  Faith  and  of  the  Lilies  of  France, 
peace  be  unto  you,  and  the  blessings  of  the  Queen  of  Heaven  attend 
you !  Let  us  return  thanks !  I  have  planted  the  Cross  here  in  the 
wilderness.      Let  us  go  to  the  forest  sanctuary ! " 


I  1 6  ZIGZA  G  JO  URNE  YS  IN  A  CA  DIA . 

"  '  "  I  will  go,  Father  Joseph,  and  I  will  again  set  the  Lilies  of 
France  beside  the  Cross." 

'"  It  was  August  1 2th,  —  a  dreamy  day,  as  though  heaven  had  let 
down  a  curtain  of  gold  around  the  forest,  and  canopied  the  regions 
with  purple.  Beyond  were  the  fresli  seas,  which  the  chiefs  said  had 
no  limits,  but  were  linked  one  to  another  by  foaming  rivers  and 
straits. 

"'  Father  Joseph  was  arrayed  in  the  vestments  that  had  been  given 
him  by  the  bishops  and  nobles  of  Paris,  who  could  never  have 
imagined  that  he  would  wear  them  on  an  occasion  like  this.  Behind 
him  were  our  twelve  brothers  of  the  Cross  who  had  followed  his 
fortunes  from  Montreal,  and  Etienne  Brule,  the  interpreter. 

"  '  The  chapel  was  simple,  but  it  was  adorned  with  the  precious 
emblems  of  the  faith.  It  was  filled  with  dusky  forms.  My  heart 
glowed  as  I  beheld  these  children  of  the  forest  sign  themselves  with 
the  Cross,  and  bow  before  the  emblem  of  the  Light  of  the  World  that 
shone  upon  the  altar. 

" '  We  sung  the  Te  Denm  Latidamns.  Then  at  my  order  a  volley 
of  guns  proclaimed  the  triumph  of  the  faith,  and  I  planted  the  flag 
beside  the  Cross. 

' "  Ye  heroes  of  the  Cross,  advance  ! 

O  mystery  of  the  Cross,  shine  forth  !  " ' 

"  The  Court  listened  to  the  narrative  with  joy  and  wonder.  Even 
the  cold  cardinal  was  moved.  If  statecraft  had  not  absorbed  him, 
a  missionary  spirit  would  have  fired  his  soul.  He  was  silent  when 
the  story  ended.  I  fe  had  begun  to  dream.  The  cardinal's  day- 
dreams always  came  true.  His  dream  was  of  a  New  France,  a 
France  beyond  the  sea. 

"The  French  Protestants  or  lIugiKnots  made  Rochclle  the  head- 
quarters f)f  their  party.  Koc  lielK-  was  a  lovely  city  by  the  sea, 
surrounded  by  powerful  fortifications.  its  liarhoi-  was  filled  with 
ships. 


CARDINAL   RICHELIEU'S  DREAM   OE  AEIV  ERAACE 


117 


"  It  was  a  favorite  resort  of  the  English,  and  of  Protestant 
traders.  It  was  for  a  long  period  under  English  rule,  being  a 
part  of  the  wedding  dowry  of  Eleanor  of  Aquitaine,  on  her  mar- 
riage with  Henry  II.  Richelieu  determined  to  crush  the  Hugue- 
not power  as  one  of  the  enemies  of  the  throne,  and  he  laid  siege  to 
Rochelle. 


THF.    KING    AND    RICHELIEU    AT    LA    ROCIIELLK. 


"'The  Huguenot  party,'  said  the  cardinal,  'has  for  a  hundred 
years  divided  the  kingdom.  Demolish  her  fortifications.  Let  no 
vessel  of  war  enter  her  harbor  from  abroad.' 

"  The  order  was  carried  out.  But  the  spirit  of  the  Huguenots  was 
unchanged.  Then  came  the  siege,  one  of  the  most  memorable  in 
history. 

"John  Guiton,  a  hero  v/ith  the  iron  will  of  a  martyr,  was  made 
mayor  of  the  lovely  and  imperilled  city. 

" '  I  accept  the  honor,'  he  said  to  the  Rochellese ;  '  but,'  he  added, 
throwing  a   poniard   upon    the   table,  —  'but   on   the    condition    that 


ii8 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


yonder  weapon   shall    pierce    the   heart  of   him   who   dares   speak   of 
surrender.' 

"  The  king  accompanied  the  cardinal  to  Rochelle,  and  watched 
with  him  the  progress  of  the  siege.  Months  passed.  The  suffering 
in  the  place  became  fearful.  England  attempted  to  help  her  Prot- 
estant friends,  and  sent  a  fleet  to  their  assistance ;  but  the  expedition 
was   defeated.      Famine   filled    the   city   with    corpses.      The   soldiers 


■s     'lil*'^ 


^»i 


lIJi;    K1N(,    AND    I11I-;    CAKDINAl. 


themselves  became  ahnost  fleshless.  It  was  a  dead  city.  There  were 
corpses  in  the  chambers,  the  liouses,  the  streets.  The  city  was  van- 
quished at  last  by  the  famine,  and  then  surrendered   to  Richelieu. 

"  Tlie  king  and  Richelieu  triumphantly  entered  the  gates  and  gazed 
upon   the  work  that  they  had  wrouglit. 

"  Die  i^olicy  of    Riclielieu  was  again  omnij^otent ;   the   Protestant 
party,  as  a  political   ])ower  in    France,  was  dead. 

"  Richelieu   now  dreamed   of    ni;iking   Europe   bend   to  his   will   in 
the   name   of  the    Kinir  of    I'lance.       llis  dream   came   true. 


JOHN    GUITOX'S    OATH. 


CARDINAL  RTCHELTEU'S  DREAM  OF  NEW  FRANCE.  121 

"  But  his  restless  brain  was  haunted  by  the  more  romantic  dream 
of  the  empire  of  the  West.  He  pondered  over  the  talcs  of  Champlain. 
Might  not  the  glories  of  France  be  re-mapped  in  the  New  World  ? 
Might  there  not  arise  a  new  France  in  the  empires  of  the  Iroquois, 
Algonquins,  and  Hurons,  that  would  fill  the  treasury  with  o-old  and 
restore  to  the  throne  the  puissance  of  Charlemagne  ? 

"  All  Europe  had  been  thrilled  with  the  exploits  of  the  mariners 
of  the  West. 

"  The  Cabots  had  followed  Columbus;  Ponce  de  Leon,  the  Cabots. 
The  former  had  beheld  the  colossal  shores  of  the  North,  and  the 
latter  the  almost  paradisaic  beauty  of  the  South.  In  15 13  Balboa 
had  looked  upon  the  Pacific.  The  conquests  of  Cortez  had  dazzled 
Spain.  Then  followed  the  wonderful  achievements  of  Verrazano, 
Narvaez,  Cartier,  De  Soto,  Cabrillo.  Espejo  had  founded  Santa  Fe, 
and  De   Monts  had  dwelt  amid  the  rugged  scenes   of  Nova  Scotia. 

"Now  came  Champlain,  with  his  tales  of  inland  oceans  and  of 
nations  of  which  no  mind  had  conceived. 

"Richelieu  dreamed  again.  His  powerful  mind  was  the  master 
of  France ;  he  aspired  to  the  mastery  of  the  courts  of  Europe.  The 
way  seemed  clear  to  this  great  ambition.  But  the  courts  of  Europe 
did  not  fill   his  dream. 

"  In  his  palace  hung  the  rude  maps  of  the  mariners  of  the  West. 
He  beheld  the  great  empire  of  the  West  in  a  vision.  Its  hills  were 
crowned  with  crosses;  over  its  harbors  glimmered  the  emblem  of  the 
faith,  and  beside  every  cross  flowered  the  Lilies  of  France. 

"Another  stroke  of  policy:  He  suppressed  the  ancient  ofiBce  of 
Admiral  of  France. 

"  Another  :  He  made  himself  the  Grand  Master  and  Superintend- 
ent of  Navigation  and  Commerce. 

"Another:  He  formed  a  trading  company  of  a  hundred  men. 
He  called  it  the  "Company  of  New  France;"  and  the  most  conspicuous 
man  of  these  hundred  associates  was  Samuel  de  Champlain. 


122  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  New  France !  It  was  a  splendid  dream.  Would  that  all  the 
dreams  which  he  had  dreamed  at  the  Louvre,  the  Tuileries,  and  at 
Fontainebleau  had  been  as  glorious ! 

"  My  story  is  a  picture.  I  hope  you  will  follow  the  fulfilment  of 
Richelieu's  dream." 


CHAPTER   V. 


CHARLIE    NOBLE'S    CONCERT. 


Ki  \Siil\^ 

M 

wiwE^ 

^m 

m  &  -^  ^f'^J^i 

vSm 

^^^^ 

^ 

E  must  make  up  a  programme  that  will  commend 
itself  to  Master  Lewis,"  said  Charlie  Noble  to  the 
Musical  'Society.  "  I  have  the  impression  that 
our  vocal  gifts  are  not  the  most  remarkable ;  so 
we  must  select  pieces  that  have  interest  in 
themselves." 

"  It  will  not  do  to  include  '  The  Red,  White, 
and  Blue '  with  the  words  that  I  wrote  for  the  Club,"  said  Charlie 
Leland. 

"  Why  .? " 

"  If  we  should  ever  repeat  the  concert  in  the  Provinces,  the  Eng- 
lish would   not  like  that." 

"  I  do  not  think  so.     The   English  stand  by  their  own    flag  and 
country,  and  sing  lustily,  '  Rule,  Britannia;'  and  they  respect  the  same 
feeling  among  people  of  other  nations.     Yes ;  we  must  include  that." 
"  But  they  might  hiss  you." 

"  Then   I  would   sinor  them  the    sons:  of  the  '  Fine    Old    Enorlish 
Gentleman  '  who  had  better  manners." 
"Or  throw  beans  at  you." 

"  I  would  then  sing  them  '  The  Sword  of  Bunker  Hill,'  and  remind 
them  that  our  fathers  did  not  throw  beans  at  their  grandfathers  in 
those  days.  But  I  am  not  afraid  of  any  trouble  of  that  kind.  An 
Englishman    likes    pluck,    and    respects    it.      Americans    respect    an 


124  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

English  '  middy,'  and  the  whole-souled  Englishman  will  respect  a  true- 
hearted  American  boy." 

"  Let  us  take  for  our  first  piece  '  Oh,  my  America! ' "  said  Charlie. 
"  That  song  includes  the  whole  country,  and  admits  of  the  emotional 
tone." 

"Capital,"  said  Noble. 

"  The  Hampton  singers'  songs  were  popular  in  the  Provinces;  why 
could  we  not  include  some  of  the  Indian  songs  that  were  popular  years 
ago,"  asked  Charlie  Leland,  —  "such  as  Mrs.  Hunter's  Indian's  Death- 
Song,  '  The  sun  sets  at  night  and  the  stars  shun  the  day,'  and  '  When 
shall  we  three  meet  again  }  '  composed  by  an  Indian  graduate  of 
Dartmouth  College,  or  the  queer  old  mission  song,  '  In  de  dark  wood, 
no  Injun  nigh  '}  " 

"  That  is  a  good  idea,"  said  Noble.  "  I  am  sure  that  the  last  song 
you  name  would  be  interesting.  I  once  heard  my  grandfather  sing  it. 
Do  you  recall  the  words  }  " 

"  A  part  of  them  :  — 

"'In  de  dark  wood,  no  Injun  nif^h, 
Den  ine  look  lieben,  send  uj)  cry, 

Upon  my  knees  so  low. 
Cod  hear  poor  Injun  in  de  wood; 
Den  me  lub  God,  an'  dat  be  good, 

De  i)riest,  lie  (el!  me  so. 

"'Den  God,  He  say,  "Poor  Injun,  come; 
Me  goin'  to  lake  poor  Injun  liome, 

Where  he  may  lib  in  heben." 
Den   Injun,  he  wing  u])  an'  fly, 
An'  tell  de  angels  'bove  de  sky 

How  lie  hab  been  forgiben. 

'■  '  Wiien  me  be  old,  me  head  l^e  gray. 
He  neber  Icbc  me.  —  so  He  say, — 

He  wid  nic  till  me  die. 
Den  take   me  up  to  sliiny  ])lace, 
•See  red  man,  white  man,  black  man  face; 

All  happy  {\{zx\  on  high.'  " 


CHARLIE  NOBLE'S   CONCERT. 


1^5 


"  That  ought  to  be.  as  entertaining  as  '  Mary  and  Martha  have 
just  gone  along,'  "  said  Noble.  "  We  must  learn  some  of  the  best  of  the 
old  Revolutionary  songs,  a  few  of  the  old  political  campaign  songs, 
and  the  most  popular  songs  of  the  War  for  the  Union." 

"  And  all  of  the  songs  that  Tom  Moore  wrote  while  in  America," 
said  Charlie  Leland. 

"  We  would  have  a  programme  as  long,  as  a  hotel  bill,"  said  Noble. 
"  No ;  we  must  select  the  most  novel  and  pleasing." 

Noble's  instincts  as  to  what  is  novel  and  pleasing,  to  the  public  at 
least,  if  not  to  the  critics,  were  equal  to  those  of  a  successful  editor. 
The  quaint  old  songs  that  he  brought  forth  from  the  past  surprised 
and  delighted  the  Club.  The  Musical  Society  practised  them  daily, 
and  the  concert  was  appointed  for  the  evening  of  February  22, 
W^ashington's   Birthday. 

As  the  Musical  Society  had  only  common  gifts  and  culture, 
Charlie  Noble's  experiment  was  regarded  by  many  members  of  the 
school  as  very  unpromising;  and  it  was  evident  that  Master  Lewis 
himself  was  wanting  in  confidence  in  it.  The  sharp  remarks  made  by 
some  of  the  boys  in  regard  to  the  young  candidates  for  musical  honors 
compelled  Charlie  to  use  as  much  tact  as  possible  in  the  selection  of 
pieces  and  the  manner  of  rendering  them. 

The  first  concert  was  given  to  the  members  of  the  school  and  their 
invited  friends.  The  Musical  Club  numbered  ten ;  Noble  acted  as 
leader  and  conductor,  and  Charlie  Leland  as  pianist. 

There  was  a  smile  on  many  of  the  faces  of  the  audience  when  the 
ten  boys  came  upon  the  platform.  The  opening  stanza  of  the  song 
"  Oh,  my  America ! "  made  the  friends  of  the  Club  very  nervous. 
Master  Lewis  looked  straight  at  the  toe  of  his  boot. 

But  the  refrain  at  the  end  of  the  second  stanza  arrested  every  one's 
attention.  It  was  rendered  with  feeling.  Then  it  was  repeated 
softly  and  sweetly,  with  a  real  patriotic  tenderness  of  voice  and 
manner. 


126 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


ri^r 


The  audience  was  very  still.  Master  Lewis  raised  his  eyes  from 
liis  boot's  toe,  —  an  ()l)jet:t  which  had  seemed  to  have  for  him  an 
absorhiiiLi;   interest,  —  and  applauded   the  effort. 

Interest  was  awakened.  I'he  tender  words  "  Oh,  my  America  !  "  had 
liardly  ended  wJien  the   ten  boys  astonished  the  audience  by  taking  an 


CHARLIE  NOBLE'S  CONCERT.  I  27 

attitude  of  enthusiasm  and  admiration,  each  holding  out  his  right  hand 
obliquely  as  though  surveying  mountain  scenery.  Then  in  a  clear, 
resolute  tone,  they  sang,  — 

"  The  hills  of  New  England,  how  proudly  they  rise. 
With  their  tall  azure  outlines,  to  blend  with  the  skies ! 
Romance  dims  their  arches  and  breathes  in  the  breeze  : 
New  England,  my  country,  I  love  thee  for  these  !  " 

The  last  line  was  delivered  in  an  oratorical  tone,  with  an  upward 
gesture  of  the  left  hand,  and  ended  with  a  fine  patriotic  tableau  in  the 
attitude  of  the  ten  boys. 

The  pantomime  was  bold,  graceful,  and  statuesque.  All  was  in- 
terest now^ ;  even  Master  Lewis  forgot  his  boot.  At  the  end  of  the 
second  stanza,  beginning 

"  The  vales  of  New  England,  that  cradle  her  streams," 

the  hall  rung  with  applause,  and  Noble  found  himself  master  of  the 
situation.  He  smiled  and  bowed  in  response  to  repeated  applause, 
and  was  inwardly  so  much  delighted  that  a  tell-tale  expression 
stole  over  his  face  which  said,  "  I  told  you  so ; "  and  the  boys  of  the 
school,   recognizing   its   import,   burst   into    applause    again. 

"  Adams  and  Liberty "  followed.  Then  Otto  sang,  to  Covert's 
music,  Tom  Moore's  "  Lake  of  the  Dismal  Swamp." 

The  ballad  was  told  like  a  story,  so  artlessly  that  the  audience  was 
perfectly  silent.     Otto  was  recalled,  and  sang  Locke's  beautiful  ballad 

"  There  's  a  dear  little  mound  by  the  willow, 
Where  I  wander  at  evening  and  weep  ; 
There's  a  loved  vacant  spot  on  my  pillow, 
Where  a  dear  little  face  used  to  sleep." 


At  the  words,  — 


"  Do  I  dream  when  in  sleep  I  behold  her 
With  a  beauty  all  new  and  divine, 
When  so  close  to  my  arms  I  enfold  her, 
And  feel  her  warm  lips  upon  mine," 


the  audience  was  silent  again. 


128  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

Otto  was  again  recalled,  and  sang  a  ballad  of  the  same  character, 
"  The  Old  House  at  Home." 

Noble  was  now  sure  of  the  interest  and  sympathy  of  the  audience ; 
and  he  began  a  little  speech-making,  giving  a  short  account  of  the 
writers  of  the  words  and  music  of  each  song,  and  some  of  the  occasions 
on  which  the  song  had  been  sung,  as  he  introduced  the  title. 

Of  "  Hail,  Columbia ! "  he  gave  quite  a  history,  which  so  interested 
the  audience  that  it  would  have  delighted  in  the  song  even  had  it 
been  rendered  less  effectively. 

Among  the  pieces  were  the  "  Blue  Juniata,"  "  Over  the  Mountain 
Wave,"  "  Departed  Days,"  "  The  Vacant  Chair,"  "  Do  they  miss  me  at 
home  ? "  "  The  Year  of  Jubilo,"  "  Alone  by  the  Schuylkill,"  "  Our  flag 
is  there,"  "  A  life  on  the  ocean  wave,"  "  Be  kind  to  thy  father," 
"  The  Old  Oaken  Bucket,"  "  Maryland,  my  Maryland,"  "  Old  Dog 
Tray,"  and  "  Your  Mission." 

"  I  did  not  know  that  we  had  so  many  songs  of  the  heart  in 
America,"  whispered  Master  Lewis  to  Mr.  Beal,  his  assistant.  "  This 
concert  is  a  credit  to  the  school.  I  would  not  be  ashamed  to  have  it 
repeated  anywhere.  It  has  in  it  positive  influence.  It  would  make 
any  one's  heart  tenderer.      I  must  congratulate  the  boys." 

He  did  so,  most  warmly.  Noble  had  been  gaining  confidence  all 
the  evening,  and  now  he  was  almost  as  tall  as  a  full-grown  man. 

After  Master  Lewis  sat  down,  the  boys  began  to  call,  "  Noble ! " 
"  Noble!  "     Charlie  arose,  bowed,  and  said, — 

"  The  success  of  the  concert  this  evening,  if  it  be  a  success,  re- 
minds me  of  a  story  I  once  read  of  a  young  lady  who  did  not  receive 
much  encouragement  from  her  friends  in  her  early  days,  but  who 
nevertheless  resolved  to  make  the  most  of  herself.  I  will  relate  it, 
and  you  may  make  such  an  application  as  you  like. 

'"Fanny  Forrester'  for  some  years  was  one  of  the  most  noted 
w(;in(jn  in  the  country.  When  young  she  was  a  factory  girl,  and 
worked  at  splicing  rolls. 


''TV/ 


^iyi 


THE    JUNIATA. 


CHAR  UK  NOBLE'S  CONCERT.  I^j 

"  She,  however,  was  allowed  to  spend  a  part  of  her  time  at  school, 
and  applied  herself  in  her  leisure  moments  out  of  school  very  closely 
to  study.     Her  true  name  was  Emily  Chubbuck. 

"  When  she  was  in  her  fifteenth  year,  her  mother  proposed  that  she 
should  learn  the  trade  of  a  milliner.  Emily  had  nearly  supported  her- 
self while  at  school  by  twisting  thread  and  by  sewing  ;  but  her  love  of 
learning  was  so  strong,  that  while  she  was  willing  to  earn  her  living 
from  day  to  day  during  the  time  she  was  getting  her  education,  she 
could  not  think  of  giving  her  life  to  anything  but  teaching. 

"  So  she  very  decidedly  protested  against  learning  a  trade. 

" '  But  what  do  you  intend  to  do } '  asked  her  mother.  '  You  are 
almost  fifteen,  and  cannot  go  to  school  always.' 

"  The  family  was  poor,  and  Mrs.  Chubbuck  felt  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  take  another  step  in  the  matter.  So,  a  few  days  afterwards, 
an  arrangement  was  made  with  the  village  milliner  to  take  Emily  as 
an  apprentice. 

"Dreadful  intelligence  was  this;  and  Emily  cried  the  whole  of 
the  night  after  she  received  it.  The  next  morning  she  went  to  her 
academy  teacher  with  a  question  that  rested  like  a  mountain  on  her 
mind. 

"  '  Mr.   B ,'  she   said   tremblingly,  '  do  you  think  me  capable  of 

teaching  school  }  ' 

"' Yes,' said  he,  smiling;  'you  are  capable,  but  you  are  not  big 
enough.' 

" '  Will  you  please  to  give  me  a  recommendation  1 ' 

" '  Certainly.' 

"  '  "  Not  big  enough  !  "  Well,'  thought  Emily,  'that  is  not  my  fault, 
and  I  will  stand  just  as  tall  as  I  can,  and  make  the  most  of  myself  in 
this  respect  when  I  go  before  a  trustee.' 

"  She  was  not  fifteen  years  of  age  at  this  time,  and  very  small  in 
stature  at  that.  Sickness  had  left  its  marks  upon  her,  and  her 
ability  for  managing  a  school  must  certainly  have  seemed  doubtful. 


12^2  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  She  told  lier  mother  that  she  wished  to  visit  some  friends  hvino-  a 
few  miles  distant.  As  soon  as  she  reached  them  she  was  told,  in  an- 
swer to  her  eager  inquiries,  that  a  teacher  was  wanted  in  an  adjoin- 
ing district.  She  started  for  that  district  at  once,  making  a  short  cut 
across  lots,  and  came  to  the  house  of  one  of  the  trustees.  She  rapped, 
and,  dreadfully  frightened,  awaited  a  response. 

"  A  raw-boned,  red-headed  man  at  last  appeared  in  a  red  shirt, 
ragged  pantaloons,  and  enormous  cow-hide  boots. 

"  The  poor  little  applicant  declares  that  she  '  stood  as  tall  as 
possible.' 

" '  Is  a  teacher  engaged  for  your  school  ? '  she  asked. 

"  The  trustee  looked  at  her  with  such  evident  astonishment  that 
she  at  once  lost  heart. 

" '  How  old  are  you  }  '  he  asked. 

" '  Almost  fifteen.' 

"  The  man  puckered  his  mouth,  and  gave  a  great  whistle. 
'  Whew  !  I  will  see  the  other  trustees,  and  '11  let  you  know  in  a 
week  or  two,'  he  said  at  last. 

"  Emily  knew  what  that  meant.  She  turned  from  the  house,  made 
her  way  to  some  woods  near  by,  and  as  soon  as  she  was  hidden  from 
siglit,  sat  down  and  cried. 

"  The  next  morning,  however,  one  of  her  friends  offered  to  aid  her  in 
her  endeavors  to  ol^tain  the  school.  Thev  called  on  another  .trustee, 
—  a  very  genial  man.  Emily  ])resented  her  recommendation,  which, 
in  licr  fright,  siie  had  forgotten  to  show  on  the  previous  day.  The 
gentleman  thought  fa\'orabl\'  of  her  ap))h(  alion,  and  advised  her  to  .sec 
Mr.  1) ,  who,  he  vaid,  was  the  leading  trustee. 

"  .So  Mr.  I'. was  at  once-  called  upon.      I  le  was  a  young  farmer, 

full  of  good  nature.  lie  had  a  gi(  at  Iroop  of  childreii  about  him,  as 
most  sunshiny  ]:)eojjle  have. 

"  Emily  made  known  her  errand. 

"'WIiv,'  .saifl    he,   'the  .scholars   will   be   biLi:irer  than  their  teacher. 


CHARLIE   NOBLE'S   CO  A  CERT.  I  ^ 


JO 


Here,  An't,'  he  continued,  speaking  to  one  of  the  children,  '  stand  up 
by  the  schooh-narm,  and  let's  see  which  is  the  tallest.  An't  is  the 
blackest,  at  any  rate.' 

"  Emilv  says  that  she  '  stood  as  tall  '  as  she  could  on  these  impor- 
tant occasions.  Well,  although  she  was  so  short,  she  obtained  the 
school  and  succeeded. 

"We  are  all  trying  to  'stand  as  tall  as  possible;'  in  other  words, 
we  are  trvincj  to  make  the  most  of  ourselves.     Good-night." 

The  audience  saw  the  point  of  the  story,  and  the  impression  was 
pleasing. 

As  Master  Lewis  passed  Noble  in  the  hall  after  the  concert,  he 
said, — 

"  I  am  willing  that  you  should  give  a  public  performance  after  the 
Society  has  received  a  little  drilling  from  the  Music  Professor  ;  and  I 
should  be  glad  to  have  you  make  the  experiment  of  a  concert  of 
American  songs  in  the  Provinces,  should  we  make  the  tour  you 
have  proposed." 

The  Club  gave  three  concerts  in  towns  near  Boston  during  the 
spring.  Each  concert  was  popular  and  successful.  As  the  result,  the 
Club  had  in  its  treasury  $350  towards  the  proposed  vacation  trip. 
As  the  school  year  drew  near  its  close,  the  principal  topics  of  discus- 
sion among  the  boys  were  the  proposed  Journeys  in  Acadia  and 
New   France 


CHAPTER   VI. 

FOR    ST.    JOHN. 

HE  Class  left  Commercial  Wharf,  Boston,  at  eight 
o'clock  one  July  morning,  on  the  St.  John  steamer. 
The  fare  to  St.  John  was  reasonable  for  so  long 
and  ])icturcsquc  an  excursion,  —  )?>5.50.  Late  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  same  day  the  boat  touched  at  Port- 
land, and  then  ran  along  the  coast  of  Maine,  trav- 
ersing'' Passamac|Uoddv   Bay.      The  sea  was  calm,  the  salt  air  cool,  and 


■/r*i\'.'-^-"v-. 


FISIir.RM  AN  S    IIOITSK. 


the  .scenes  rui  the  Maine  coast  a  coiitiiuioiis  jjiclure.  /\  lovely  night 
ff)llfj\ved  a  quiet  day,  and  the  coast  of  the  ])ro\'ince  of  New  Ih'uns- 
wick   came   to  view   with    the   inorniii''-   li<>ht. 


FOR   ST.    JO'HN. 


'35 


New  Brunswick  is  a  quiet  province  ;  but  she  has  a  noble  record 
for  usefuhiess   in  the  commercial    accounts    of 
■"*^"  the   world.     A  pacific    province   that   deals    in 

what  the  world   most  needs  is  a  benefactor  of 


mankind.  There  have 
been  built  in  New 
Brunswick,  during  the 
past  century,  some  ten 
thousand  merchant- 
vessels,  representing, 
possibly,  $100,000,000. 
Her  lumber  trade  and 
her  fisheries  are  most 
useful  occupations,  and 
such  as  tend  to  make 
strong,  worthy  men. 

THE    LIGHTHOUSE    ON    GRAND    MANAX.  TllC     inhabitants   of 

the  province,  some  325,000  in  number,  deserve  high  rank  among  the 


136  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS   IN  ACADIA. 

best  communities  of  the  times,  on  account  of  their  pacific  influence, 
useful  industries,  and  moral  and  religious  character.  While  loyal  to 
the  British  Crown,  their  intimacy  with  the  people  of  New  England 
is  very  close  and  cordial.  The  tradespeople  of  St.  John  and  those 
of  Boston  make  their  interests  common,  and  there  are  goodly  streets 
'in  Boston  that  are  nearly  half  peopled  by  the  former  inhabitants  of 
New   Brunswick  and   Nova  Scotia. 

The  province  was  a  part  of  the  romantic  domain  of  Acadia.  De 
Monts  planted  a  colony  here  sixteen  years  before  the  coming  of  the 
'*  Mayflower  "  to  Plymouth. 

The  principal  points  ot  its  history  aix' :  The  province  was  granted 
to  the  Sieur  de  Monts,  1603;  it  was  first  settled  on  the  St.  Croix, 
1604.  La  Tour  erected  a  fort  at  St.  John,  1634,  It  was  occupied 
by  Cromwell  s  expedition,  1654;  restored  to  France  by  Charles  II., 
1670;  invaded  by  New  England,  1703;  ceded  to  England,  1713; 
conquered  by  Anglo-Americans,  1755-58;  surrendered  to  England, 
1763,  by  the  Treaty  of  Versailles;  disturbed  by  invasion,  during  the 
American  Revolution.  It  became  the  abode  of  many  American 
loyalists  after  the  Revolution;  w'as  organized  as  a  proxince  in  1784; 
and   one  hundred  years  of  peace  and   i^rosperity  ensued. 

At  noon  on  the  day  after  leaving  Boston,  the  Class  approached 
the  rocky  guard  of  the  harbor  of  St.  John.  The  hills  came  to 
view,  —  Carleton    Heights   and   the    Martello     Tower. 

St.  John  has  been  called  the  "  Liverpool  of  Canada."  Among 
commercial  cities  it  holds  the  fourth  ])osition  in  the  vast  British 
Empire,  —  London,  Lixerpool,  (ilasgow,  St.  John. 

St.  Jr)hn  is  so  called  from  the  discovery  of  the  site  on  St.  John's 
Day  (June  24,  1604).  It  was  ihe  Menagwes  of  Indian  tradition. 
Here  Glooscap,  the  Indian  god,  whose  Parnassus  was  l)l()midon  in 
Nova  .Scotia,  had  a  residence.  We  are  told  that  once,  when  he  lived 
here  by  the  sea,  a  wicked  magi(  ian  stole  some  of  his  j)eoj)le,  and 
carried   ihcni   to   the  islands  along   the  coast.     Glooscap  pursued  him. 


FOR   ST.    JOHN. 


139 


riding  on  the  backs  of  whales.  While  on  this  expedition,  he  grew  so 
tall  that  his  head  touched  the  sky.  Of  course  he  captured  the  poor 
ma^rician,  and  released  his  friends.  It  would  have  been  hard  indeed 
to  have  escaped  a  pursuer  who  could  summon  the  whales  and  grow 
tall  like  that. 


■rr 


^■-wC?^if:;C:^.\ 


CRUISING   FOR    PORT'OISES. 


The  Class  consisted  of  twelve  boys,  under  the  supervision  of  Mas- 
ter Lewis.  Ten  of  these  were  members  of  the  Musical  Society;  and 
of  these  ten,  five  hoped  to  pay  in  part  the  expenses  of  the  journey 
by  concerts  of  American  songs  in  the  cities  of  the  Provinces. 

On  arriving  at  St.  John,  the  Musical  Club  gave  a  free  concert 
in  the  hall  of  the  buildino;  of  the  Younor  Men's  Christian  Association, 
and  the  next  day  some  of  the  boys  sang  at  the  Orphan  Asylum. 
These  free  concerts  awakened  a  popular  interest  in  American  songs. 
A  concert  was  arranged  to  take  place  in  the  hall  of  the  Mechanic 
Institute  :  five  hundred  tickets  were  sold,  at  a  shilling  each,  with  a 
clear  profit  of  about  $100. 

The  concert  was  a  surprising  success.  So  friendly  are  the  people 
of  St.  John  to  the  United  States,  that  the  audience  encored  nearly 
every  national  song,  notwithstanding  the  disagreeable  historic  sugges- 
tions of  some  of  the  chords  to  provincial  ears. 


I40  ZIGZAG  JOURiVEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

Master  Lewis  was  touched  by  this  simple  exhibition  of  interna- 
tional good  feeling,  and,  securing  a  British  flag,  asked  Noble  to  close 
the  concert  with  "  God  save  the  Queen,"  holdino-  the  flao-  from  the 
staff  in  his  hand. 

Charlie  Noble's  tact  was  equal  to  any  emergency,  and  he  had 
provided  for  any  such  exhibition  of  good  feeling  as  was  found 
here. 

Laying  the  flag  upon  the  desk,  he  led  the  Club  in  singing  "  Amer- 
ica." Then  he  surprised  the  audience  by  leading  the  old  French 
rendering   of   loyalty, — 

'*  Grand  Uieu  !  sauves  le  Roi ! 
Grand  Dieii  I  sauves  le  Roi 

Sauves  le  Roi  ! 
Que  toujours  glorieux, 
Louis  Victorieux, 
Vove  ses  enemis 
Toujours  soumis  !" 

He  then  took  up  the  English  flag,  and,  waving-  it,  led  the  English 
national  antlicm,  with  a  change  in  the  words  of  the  first  two  lines, — 

"  Long  live  Victoria  ! 
Long  live  Victoria  ! 

Long  live  tiie  Queen  ! 
Make  her  victorious, 
Happy  and  glorious. 
Long  to  reign  over  us, 
God  save  the  Queen  !  " 

Then  tm-ning  to  the  audience  he  said,  waving  the  English  flag, — 
"  All."     The  audience  struck  up, — 

"  God  save  our  gracious  Queen, 

(iod  save  our  noble  Queen, 

God  save  the  Queen  !  " 

A  part  of  the  Class  at  tlie  same  time  sung, — 

"(inind  Dicu  !   sauves  le  Kni," 

while  Noble,  in  a  <  lear  soj^rano,  h'ke  an  obligato,  sung, — 

"  My  country,  'tis  of  thee." 


FOR  ST.   JOHN. 


141 


At  the  close  of  this  novel  chorus  the  audience  burst  into  cheers, 
and  the  Class  gave  three  hearty  cheers  for  "the  mother  country  and 
St.  John." 


L  w  Tiiie     ^-j  JoHh   kTbo"-^  Hi 


LOW    TIDE,-    ST.    JOHN    HAKKOK. 


A  STRANGE  STORY  OF  OLD  ST.  JOHN. 


The  history  of  Madame  de  la  Tour  is  perhaps  the  most  heroic  and  romantic 
of  that  of  any  woman  who  came  to  America  during  the  French  provincial 
period.  One  wonders,  on  reviewing  it,  at  the  strange  changes  that  come  into 
people's  hearts  and  minds,  and  asks,  Who  can  prophes}'  what  may  not  happen 
in  life  ? 


1^2  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

Cadie  —  La  Cadie  —  Acadie  —  Acadia!  Before  De  Monts  came  to 
America,  all  of  the  colonies  of  the  French  Crown  were  called  New  France. 
De  Monts's  grant  of  territory  embraced  all  the  land  lying  east  of  the  Penob- 
scot, and  so  included  the  present  provinces  of  New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia, 
and  a  part  of  Maine.  This  grant  was  called  Acadie:  afterwards,  Acadia  by 
the  English. 

La  Tour  was  a  French  Protestant.  In  1625  King  Charles  was  betrothed 
to  the  Princess  Henrietta  Maria,  daughter  of  the  P'rench  King.  In  the  mar- 
riage treaty  he  ceded  to  France  the  whole  of  New  Scotland,  or  Nova  Scotia, 
which  had  been  given  to  Sir  William  Alexander.  Sir  William  sold  the 
territory  to  M.  de  la  Tour,  who  established  a  colony  at  St.  John. 

M.  d'Aulnay,  a  French  Catholic,  acted  as  governor  for  the  French  Govern- 
ment in  the  territory  between  the  St.  Croix  and  the  Penobscot.  He  was 
really  a  deputy-governor.  La  Tour  and  D'Aulnay  were  thus  neighbors  ;  and 
they  became  bitter  rivals,  with   remarkable  results,  as  the  reader  shall  be  told. 

La  Tour  sought  the  friendship  and  trade  of  the  people  of  New  England, 
especially  of  Boston.  D'Aulnay  maintained  the  most  intimate  relations  with 
the  Catholic  political  party  in  France.  In  the  religious  wars  of  France 
La  Tour  of  course  sympathized  with  the  Huguenots,  and  D'Aulnay  with 
the  Catholics. 

Madame  de  la  Tour  was  an  intense  Protestant.  She  threw  her  whole 
soul  into  the  Protestant  cause,  and  sought  to  win  territory  for  Protestantism, 
as  though  she  was  commissioned  for  this  work  by  Heaven.  She  was  really 
a  great  woman  in  mind,  heart,  and  conscience,  and  much  her  husband's 
superior,  as  we  shall  see. 

La  Tour  built  a  fort  at  St.  John,  and  D'.Xulnay  a  fori  on  the  Penobscot. 
La  Tour  began  a  very  prosperous  trade  with  Boston,  which  excited  the 
jealousy  of  D'Aulnay.  The  latter  was  well  versed  in  the  PVench  political 
art  of  intrigue,  and  he  prociui-d  an  order  from  the  J^^vnch  Court  for  the 
arrest   of  La   Tour   ;;s   an    outlaw   and    a    traitor. 

D'Aiihiay  organized  an  e.\|>c.lit  ion  .i-ainsl  St.  John.  It  consisted  of  sev- 
eral ves.sels  and  .some  five  hundred  soldiers.  lie  blockaded  the  harbor  of 
St.   John,  and   besirged    the   fort,   relying  upon   famine   for   its   rrduction. 

La  T(nir  and  his  wife-  cscapt-d  on  a  I-'icnc  h  ship,  and  laine  to  Boston. 
Here  they  organized  an  expedition  against  D'.Nulnay  at  St.  John.  It  consisted 
of  four  vessels  armed  wilii  thirty-eight  guns,  and  a  land  force  ol  ri-solute  men. 
Madame  de  la  Tour  was  the  inspiration  of  the  scheme  and  the  expedition. 
She  won  the  hearts  of  the-  jKople  of  Boston,  and  represented  the  exi^edition 
as  a  kind   of   IVolcstant   crusade-.      Slie    was    virtually  the  generalissimo  of  the 


FOR  ST.    JOHN.  143 

little  armada.  The  fleet  sailed  out  of  Boston  to  take  D'Aidnay  by  surprise. 
The  latter  was  i^lorying  in  his  success  and  triumphs,  feeling  a  great  sense  of 
security,  when  the  white  sails  of  Madame's  fleet,  like  awful  apparitions,  began 
to  rise  from  the  sea.  He  was  compelled  to  flee  to  the  Penobscot.  La  Tour 
followed  him  there.  The  squadron  returned  to  Boston,  and  La  Tour  and 
Madame  went  to   St.  John. 

Madame  de  la  Tour  next  went  to  England  to  secure  influence  and  aid 
for  her  husband's  cause.  She  took  passage  on  an  English  vessel  for  her 
return,  the  captain  of  which  promised  to  leave  her  at  St.  John.  The  vessel 
made  a  circuitous  course,  and  after  a  long  voyage  left  her  at  Boston.  She 
brought  a  suit  against  the  master  of  the  ship,  and  recovered  the  sum  of  two 
thousand  pounds,  —  a  very  great  sum  for  those  days. 

In  the  mean  time  D'Aulnay  had  fitted  out  vessels  to  prey  upon  Boston 
and  other  English  commerce.  It  would  not  therefore  be  safe  for  Madame 
de  la  Tour  to  sail  unprotected  from  Boston  to  rejoin  her  husband  at  St.  John. 

What  should  she  do  .-*  She  had  means  now,  and  she  charterqd  an  armed 
squadron  to  convey  her  to  St.  John  ;  and  thus  she  again  went  out  of  Boston 
harbor  like  a  princess,  the  commander  of  armed  vessels  and  crews. 

When  D'Aulnay  heard  of  this  bold  movement  he  felt  the  most  intense 
anger.  He  had  laid  plans  to  capture  the  brave  lady.  He  was  humiliated  at 
being  outgeneralled  by  a  woman. 

"  I  will  punish  her  yet,"  he  said  hotly. 

D'Aulnay's  wife  was  a  proud  woman,  and  was  as  ambitious  as  her  hus- 
band for  the  capture  of  Madame  and   the  destruction  of  St.  John. 

Madame  de  la  Tour  reached  St.  John  triumphantly.  There  were  no 
telegraphs  in  those  days,  and  she  found  that  her  husband  had  gone  away 
from   the  fort  on   a  trading  expedition. 

Madame  took  command  of  the  fort,  and  of  the  colony  as  well.  Some 
Jesuits  had  established  themselves  there  during  her  absence  ;  and  she  required 
them  to  change  their  abode,  thus  making  the  mistake  of  showing  the  same 
spirit  of  intolerance  as  her  adversaries. 

The  priests  of  La  Tour's  colony  were  in  sympathy  with  D'Aulnay. 
They  informed  him  of  the  weak  condition  of  the  fort  at  St.  John  ;  and  he 
resolved  to  make  an  expedition  against  it,  and  expected  to  capture  it  easily. 

Madame  was  in  command  of  the  fort.  D'Aulnay  opened  fire  upon  it,  and 
to  his  astonishment  the  garrison,  under  Madame's  orders,  resolutely  replied. 

D'Aulnay  renewed  the  attack  vigorously.  Madame's  guns  answered  back 
so  boldly  that  twenty  of  his  men  were  killed,  his  vessel  was  riddled  and  dis 


144  ZTGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

ablcd,  and  he  was  obliged  to  retreat  behind  a  bkiff,  repair  his  ship,  and  hurry 
back  to  Penobscot,  defeated  by  a  woman. 

D'Auhiay  was  furious.  His  position  was  ridiculous.  He  saw  that  he 
would  soon   be  a  jest  and  a  byword   in   Boston,  England,  and   France. 

"I  will  capture  that  artful  woman  yet,"  he  declared.  "  She  is  the  real 
cause  of  all  our  troubles." 

The  valiant  ruler  of  the  Penobscot  at  last  learned  that  La  Tour  had  again 
gone  away  on  an  expedition,  and  had  again  left  the  fort  in  charge  of  Madame. 
He  mustered  all  the  men  he  could  command,  fitted  out  another  expedition, 
and  hurried  to  St.  John. 

Madame  de  la  Tour  repelled  the  assault  in  the  fort  most  bravely  ;  but  the 
garrison  was  small  and  was  at  last  overpowered  by  superior  numbers.  The 
fort  was  taken,  and  Madame  de  la  Tour  became  D'Aulnay's  prisoner. 

He  took  her  to  his  fortified  house  at  Penobscot. 

As  he  conducted  her  into  the  hall,  he  said  in  a  haughty  tone,  with  the 
gestures  of  .a  courtier,  — 

"  Madame,  it  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  welcome  you  to  my  abode." 

Then,  turning  to  Madame  d'Aulnay,  he  said  in  the  same  ironical  but 
mock-courteous  manner, — 

"  Madame,  permit  me  to  introduce  to  you  Madame  de  la  Tour.  Her  hus- 
band, as  you  know,  is  my  greatest  enemy,  —  except  herself" 

Madame  d'Aulnay  received   the  introduction  coldly  and  proudly. 

"  I   congratulate  you,"  she  said  to  her  husband. 

How  strange  is  the  sequel !  Madame  de  la  Tour  died  of  disappointment 
and  grief  in  a  few  days.  De  la  Tour  became  a  pirate.  D'Aulnay  died,  and 
the  courtly  pirate.  De  la  Tour,  married  the  proud  widow  of  D'Aulnay  !  This 
is   ncjt   fiction. 

After  they  were  married,  the  romantic  couple  came  to  St.  John,  which 
Madame  de  la  'four  had  so  bravely  defended. 

"  Your  husband  and  my  wife  used  to  have  disagreements,"  said  La  Tour 
lo  his  wife  ;  "  but  those  days  are  gone  ;   let  }is  live  in  peace  ! " 

Here  was  a  jiiratc  chief  whose  soul  is  worthy  of  the  monument  of  a 
dinic   novel. 

.St.   John    i.s  situated   near   tlu-  ciilraiuc   of   the    Bay   of   Fundy. 
The   I>ay  of  Inmdy,  bcini;  narrow  and   open   to  the   great  Atlantic 
tidal    \va\'(;,   has    \\v    most    wondcrfnl     tides    in    tlic    world.       At    East- 


D'AUI.NAV    INTRODUCING    MADAME    DE    LA    TOUR    TO    HIS    WIFE. 


FOR  ST.   JOHN.  147 

port,  on  the  lower  point  of  the  bay,  it  rises  twenty-five  feet;  farther 
up,  at  St.  John,  thirty  feet;  still  farther,  at  Windsor,  it  comes  suddenly 
rolling  in  to  a  height  of  sixty  feet ;  and  at  Chignecto  Bay  the 
grand  spectacle  is  seen  of  the  sea  rising  over  seventy  feet  in  a 
short  period  of  time. 

The  incoming  tide  at  the  Bay  of  Fundy  is  often  dangerous  to 
those  engaging  in  shell-fisheries.  At  certain  points  the  men  and 
boys  are  obliged  to  run  at  the  turn  of  the  tide  to  escape  from 
being  drowned. 

The  swine  on  the  upper  bay,  who  feed  largely  on  shell-fish,  seem 
to  know  exactly  when  the  tide  is  coming.  They  will  venture  out, 
in  their  quest  for  food,  to  low-water  mark;  but  almost  at  the  moment 
of  tide-turning  they  will  toss  up  their  heads  with  a  grunt  of  warning 
and  run  for  the  headlands. 

The  greedy  pigs  who  linger  a  little  over  some  delicious  bivalves 
are  not  unfrequently  swallowed  up.  The  older  swine  take  away 
the  fat  shell-fishes  in  their  mouths,  and  may  be  seen  climbing  the 
headlands  with  them  with  a  velocity  that  quite  out-distances 
the  tide. 

Some  years  ago,  an  Irish  family,  fond  of  good  pork  and  potatoes, 
moved  to  a  point  on  the  upper  bay,  taking  with  them  some  promis- 
ing pigs,  who  had  not  learned  the  physical  geography  of  the 
Bay  of  Fundy. 

Pat's  pigs  for  a  time  thrived  delightfully  on  the  shell-fish  which 
he  procured  for  them ;  but  one  day  during  the  spring  tides  he 
concluded  to  let  them  run  on  the  shore,  which  was  lying,  sunny 
and  level,  and  spouting  with  bivalves,  a  very  long  distance  below 
the  high-water  mark. 

Pat  knew  little  of  the  periodical  ocean-surprises.  In  the  course 
of  two  hours  he  saw  his  neighbors'  pigs  running  violently,  and 
was  so  amused  at  the  sight  that  he  stopped  in  his  work  to  swing 
his  hat  and  cheer  them  on. 


148 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


He  was  pleased  to  notice  that  his  own  were  not  disturbed  by 
the  panic,  and  continued   industriously  at  work. 

Presently  the  sea  was  up  to  his  knees ;  and  he  turned,  like 
old  Kinir  Canute,  to  remonstrate  with  the  elements,  which  were 
as  deaf  to  him  as  to  the  Danish  King. 


There  was  a  foamiiii;,  a  roaring,  and  a  rushing;  and  Pat  fled, 
being  nearly  overwhelmed  by  the  tide  before  he  reached  safe 
rising  ground. 

"And  sure,"  said  Pat  to  his  wife,  "it's  myself  that  left  -the 
craters  fading  at  low-water  mark,  and  thin  the  water  broke  loose 
and  I  run  for  me  hfc ;  and  whin  I  reached  ihc  rocks  the  craters 
were  rolling  in  the  sea  hke  pori)oises,  and  the  half  of  them  is 
drowned." 


FRANCIS   I. 


FOR   ST.    JOHN.  I^I 

Physical  geographists  have  attributed  the  tides  of  Fundy  to 
certain  inequalities  in  the  bottom  of  the  ocean.  The  high  tide 
of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  at  St.  Helena  does  not  exceed  four  or 
five  feet,  but,  setting  in  obliquely  on  the  coast  of  North  America, 
it  seems  to  run  in  a  channel,  or  bed,  2:raduallv  narrowing  until 
it  is  stopped  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  approaching  the  head  of  the 
bay  in  an  immense  wave,  whose  coming  is  seen  for  miles.  A 
roaring  or  rushing  sound  accompanies  the  advent  of  the  tide, 
which  heard  from  a  distance  is  very  sublime  and  overawing. 

The  shore  formation  of  the  bay  for  some  hundred  and  thirty 
miles  is  an  extensive  sea-wall,  which  rises  in  stupendous  precipices, 
and  basaltic  and  green  stone  columns,  three  hundred  or  four 
hundred  feet  in  height,  thus  opposing  a  barrier  to  the  tides. 

The  tidal  wave,  in  its  greatest  force  and  velocity,  has  rolled 
in  the  rocks  from  the  sea,  and  piled  them  along  the  coast,  as 
though  building  a  barrier  against  its  own  destructiveness.  The 
minerals  found  imbedded  in  the  great  water-trap  thus  formed  are 
of  great  interest  to  the  mineralogist,  consisting  of  amethyst,  rock- 
agate,  chalcedony,  rock-crystal,  calcareous  spar,  and  specular  iron  ore. 

The  high  tides  at  Boston  rise  eleven  feet ;  at  Havre,  France, 
twenty-two  feet;  at  Liverpool,  England,  twenty-six  feet;  at  Halifax, 
Nova  Scotia,  fifty  feet;  and  at  Chignecto  Ba3^  New  Brunswick, 
seventy-one  feet. 

The  name  New  France  was  probably  first  given  to  Canada  by 
Verrazano.  The  grand  discovery  by  Columbus  of  the  Western 
World  led  the  maritime  powers  of  Europe  to  send  skilful  explorers 
to  the  newly  found  coasts.  The  Italian  mariners  of  the  Medi- 
terranean were  intrusted  with  these  commissions  by  all  the  Euro- 
pean courts.  Spain  employed  Columbus  of  Genoa;  England,  the 
Cabots  of  Venice;    and   Francis   I.,  Verrazano  of  Florence. 

Verrazano  visited  the  Atlantic  coast,  from  the  Carolinas  to 
Newfoundland,    in    the    spring    of    1524,    nearly    one    hundred    years 


1^2  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

before  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth.  He  took  formal 
possession  of  the  countr}^  in  the  name  of  Francis  I.,  and  called 
the  territory  New  France.  The  island  of  Rhode  Island,  then 
blossoming  in  spring-time,  greatly  delighted  him ;  and  it  is  said 
that  he  called  it  the  Isle  of  Rhodes,  in  memory  of  the  Isle  of 
Rhodes  (or  Roses),  in  the  Mediterranean.  He  compares  this  island 
with  the  Isle  of  Rhodes,  in  his  journal.  Hence  the  name  Rhode 
Is/and. 

Verrazano  was  the  first  who  saw  the  mysterious  waters  of 
the  North,  unless  they  were  previously  discovered  by  the  North- 
men. This  navigator  lost  his  life  in  seeking  farther  to  explore 
the  waters  of  the   Western   World. 


CHAPTER   VII. 


ANNAPOLIS    (PORT    ROYAL). 


HE  Class  left  for  Annapolis  by  sea  on  the  steamer 
"  Empress/'  In  the  warm  weather  this  is  a  very 
pleasant  route  between  the  three  principal  cities 
of  the  Maritime  Provinces,  —  St.  John,  Annapolis, 
and  Halifax.  Notwithstanding  the  great  rise  in 
the  tides  of  Fundy,  the  water  is  generally  so 
quiet  that  no  sea-sickness  is  experienced  in  passing  to  Annapolis, 
The  passage  is  made  in  some  four  or  five  hours ;  and  the  fare 
is,  in  English  currency,  about  eight  shillings,  or  two  dollars.  It 
is  some  sixty-one  miles  from  St.  John  to  Annapolis,  and  about  one 
hundred  and  ninety  miles  from  St,  John  to  Halifax.  The  full  fare 
frojn  St.  John  to  Halifax  is  /,'i,  first  class,  or  about  five  dollars.  A 
person  may  leave  St.  John  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  be 
in  Halifax  at  the  same  hour  in  the  evening.  But  any  person  witJr 
historic  and  poetic  tastes  will  wish  to  remain  a  day  or  two  at 
Annapolis. 

Annapolis,  the  old  Port  Royal  of  Champlain,  is  a  garden.  It 
is  situated  on  the  Annapolis  Basin.  On  each  side  of  the  Basin 
are  mountains,  and  everywhere  are  fruitful  orchards  and  well-tilled 
fields.  It  has  only  about  twelve  hundred  inhabitants,  and  yet  it  is 
one  of  the  most  lovel}'  summer  resorts  of  the  Maritime  Provinces. 


154 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


What  a  romantic  history  has  this  little  town !  There  is  noth- 
ino-  like  it  in  New  England.  The  Basin  was  first  entered  in  1604 
by  De  Monts.  The  scenery  enchanted  the  poetic  and  susceptible 
Baron  de  Pourtrincourt,  and  he  secured  a  grant  of  the  picturesque 
domain,  and  called  it  Port  Royal.  It  was  setded  in  1606;  and 
the  leading  mind  of  the  new  settlement  was  Lescarbot,  the  French 
poet,    whose    works    still    survive.       The    colonists    built    a   fortress 


\  lI,I.A(il'.    SIKl'.l.l'    IN    AX.NAl'OIJS. 


here.  They  won  the  affection  of  a  tribe  of  some  four  hundred 
Indians,  whose  chief  was  supposed  to  be  a  hundred  years  old. 
They  taught  these  Indians  Christianity,  and  induced  them  to  live 
in  a  village  near  the  fort.  They  built  a  ]jalace  here,  and  instituted 
the  Ord(.-r  of  (iood  Cheer.  In  tlu'  winter  some  member  of  this 
order  gave  a  daily  feast;  and  the  Indians  were  invited,  and  the  aged 
chief  of  a  huiuln-d  vi'ars  sometimes  sat   at  the  lu-ad  of  the  table. 


PROVINCIAL    AND    PICTURESQUE. 


ANNAPOLIS   {FORI'  ROYAL). 


157 


De  Monts's  grant  was  soon  annulled  by  France,  and  the  colony- 
removed,  leaving  its  fortress  and  palace. 

There  followed  a  series  of  most  romantic  events.  The  town, 
founded  by  a  knight  and  by  a  poet,  added  chapter  to  chapter  in 
a  long  poetic  history- 


BAPTISM    01--    INDIANS    AT    I'OKT    ROVAL. 


In  1610  Baron  de  Pourtrincourt  sailed  out  from  Dieppe  with 
a  colony  again  to  establish  a  settlement  in  beautiful   Acadie. 

On  arriving  at  Annapolis  he  found  the  palace  and  fort  as  he 
had  left  them.  The  Indians  hailed  the  return  of  the  French  with 
joy. 

The   old  chief  and  his  tribe   were  converted,  and   were   received 


158 


ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


into    the    church    amid    the    firing   of    cannon    and    the    chanting   of 
Te  Deums. 

In  1613  Port  Royal  was  destroyed  by  the  Jesuits,  who  were 
opposed  to  Pourtrincourt's  Hberal  views.  Pourtrincourt  was  killed 
in  France  a  year  or  two  after  this  event,  at  the  battle  of  Mery-sur- 
Seine. 


riiAMiM.AiN's  iioi;.si';  at  poki'  j«oyal 


In  1634  the  domain  was  granted  to  Seigneur  de  Razilly,  another 
nobleman  r)f  dramatic  history,  and  a  relative  of  Cardinal  Richelieu. 
Mis  lieutenants  were  D'Aulnay  and  Charles  de  la  Tour,  two  ad- 
venturous noblemen,  a  part  of  whose  singular  history  we  have 
already  related. 

In    1690     Port    Royal    was    captured    l)y    Sir    William    Phipps,   a 


^ 'forjAn     ^ 


QUEEN   AXXE. 


ANNAPOLIS    {PORT  ROYAL).  l6l 

man  whose  history  more  closely  resembles  that  of  Sindbad  the  Sailor 
than  any  other  man's  ever  born  in  New  England.  We  have  already 
given   a  part  of  his  history. 

In  1 710,  after  many  changes,  it  came  into  possession  of  the 
English,  and  was  named  Annapolis  Royal,  from  Queen  Anne. 

The  Annapolis  valley  is  filled  with  orchards.  It  is  glorious 
with  beauty  and  fragrance  in  May,  when  these  are  in  bloom.  It  is 
claimed  that  fifty  thousand  barrels  of  apples  are  exported  yearly 
from  this  valley,  and  that  this  fruit  is  the  best  in  America. 

The  Order  of  Good  Cheer,  to  which  belonged  Champlain,  Pour- 
trincourt,  De  Monts,  Lescarbot,  and  ten  other  courtly  Frenchmen, 
enlivened  each  of  their  daily  banquets  with  stories.  The  Indians 
on  these  occasions  also  sometimes  related  their  traditions.  Some 
of  the  Frenchmen  gained  a  knowledge  of  the  best  Indian  stories 
through  interpreters,  and  repeated  them  to  the  Order.  The  Class 
gathered  numerous  stories  of  the  period,  and  entered  them  in  their 
note-books. 


TALES  OF  THE  ORDER  OF  GOOD  CHEER. 

"  Let  us  imagine  the  old  French  times,  before  New  England 
was  settled,"  said  Master  Lewis  to  the  boys,  as  they  rested  for  an 
hour  amid  the  ruins  of  the  fortress,  —  ruins  covering  some  thirty 
acres.  "  The  fortress,  whose  history  is  ended,  had  not  then  arisen. 
There  was  only  a  rude   French  palace  here. 

"  It  is  winter.  Noon.  A  roasted  deer  is  laid  upon  the  table, 
and  around  it  gather  the  old  French  explorers  and  Indian  warriors. 
The  meal  over,  Lescarbot  recites  a  poem,  and  a  French  knight 
relates  a  story  or  some  narrative  he  has  learned  from  the  Indians. 
We  will  suppose  one  of  these  to  be  as  follows,  an  interpretation 
from  the  old  chief :  — 


l62  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


THE   GIANTS    OF   THE    ST.    LAWRENCE. 

In  those  far,  dim  periods  that  stretch  so  far  into  the  past  as  to  be  ahnost 
beyond  the  imagination  of  men,  there  were  two  great  worlds.  One  was  a 
world  of  light,  and  was  above ;  the  other,  a  world  of  darkness,  and  was  below. 

Gods  and  goddesses  lived  in  the  world  of  light  above,  and  hideous  monsters 
in  the  world  of  darkness  below. 

Around  the  world  of  darkness  were  clouds  and  vast  waters.  The  waters 
were  also  full  of  monsters. 

Once  in  those  far  periods  a  wonderful  thing  happened,  which  caused  the 
creation  of  the  earth. 

A  light  began  to  glow  above  the  darkness  of  the  lower  world,  and  as  it  drew 
nearer,  the  monsters  beheld  the  form  of  a  goddess  slowly  descending  towards 
them. 

All  the  animals  at  that  period  had  a  language,  and  they  began  to  consult 
with  each  other  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  goddess  should  be  received. 

The  turtles  at  that  time  were  of  enormous  size,  as  large  as  islands  are  now, 
and  one  of  these  offered  to  receive  the  goddess  on  his  back.  The  others  were 
pleased,  and  covered  the  turtle's  back  with  earth  from  the  sea  ;  and  it  became  a 
lovely  field,  full  of  trees  and  plants  and  flowers. 

The  goddess  descended  slowly,  growing  more  luminous  and  beautiful,  and 
at  last  after  many  years,  as  we  now  reckon  time,  came  to  the  blooming  island 
on  the  back  of  the  turtle,  and  made  it  her  abode. 

Here  she  gave  birth  to  two  children,  —  twins.  They  were  quite  unlike  in 
their  character.  One  was  benevolent,  just,  and  perfect  ;  the  other  delighted  in 
evil. 

The  first  was  called  Enigariu,  and  the  other  EnigonJiahctgca. 

The  goddess  died  at  their  birth,  and  her  soul  ascended.  Enigario,  or  the 
Good  Mind,  began  the  work  of  the  creation  of  light,  plants,  birds,  and  fishes  ; 
and  his  brother  engaged  in  the  creation  of  those  things  that  are  harmful  to 
man.  The  Good  Mind,  finding  that  his  brother  was  ruining  the  work  of  crea- 
tion, overcame  him,  and  drove  him  to  the  abode  of  dark  spirits;  and  he  still 
lives  there,  and  exercises  his  power  over  the  evil  souls  that  go  from  the  earth. 

Among  the  early  creations  was  a  race  (;f  giants.  This  race  inhabited  the 
North.  After  a  time  giants  began  to  make  pilgrimages  towards  the  more 
temperate  regions,  and  a  band  of  them  discovered  the  Great  River  (St. 
Lawrence). 


ANNAPOLIS   {PORT  ROYAL).  1 65 

A  gentler  race,  called  the  Eagwehoevve  people,  had  been  created  ;  and  they 
dwelt  on  the  Great  River  and  its  beautiful  seas.  They  greatly  feared  the 
giants  of  the  North,  and  hid  from  them  when  the  latter  came  down  to  the  sum- 
mer regions  from  the  lands  of  the  frozen  oceans.  The  giants  robbed  them, 
destroyed  their  liomcs,  and  carried  them  away  captives. 

Among  these  gentle  people  who  lived  on  the  Great  River  in  the  land  of 
summers  was  a  family  of  i)rinces,  consisting  of  six  brothers  and  a  sister.  The 
father  of  this  family  had  been  renowned  in  war,  and  had  died  on  the  field  of 
battle. 

One  day  the  si.x  ]:)rot]iers  went  into  the  forest  to  hunt,  and  left  their  sister 
alone  in  her  airy  palace  in  the  shadows  of  the  mountains  on  the  Great  River. 
They  had  scarcely  gone,  when  the  sister  saw  the  head  of  a  man  towering 
among  the  trees.  Birds  were  flying  about  him,  hawks  and  crows.  She  knew 
that  he  was  one  of  the  giants  of  the  frozen  lands  of  the  North. 

The  giant  discovered  the  palace.  The  sister  tried  to  escape  ;  but  he  caught 
her,  and,  seeing  that  she  possessed  wonderful  beauty,  he  treated  her  very 
kindly,  and  told  her  thai  one  day  he  would  make  her  his  wife,  and  that  they 
would  live  together  in   his  own  gigantic  palace  in  the  crystal  regions. 

The  lovely  princess  greatly  admired  the  giant ;  and  she  fell  in  love  with 
him,  and  readily  consented  to  go  away  with  him  from  the  Great  River  and  the 
land  of  summers  to  his  palace  in  regions  of  the  crystal  seas. 

When  the  six  princes  returned  home  from  their  hunt,  they  were  filled  with 
sorrow  to  find  their  sister  gone ;  and  they  knew  that  one  of  the  giants  had 
carried  her  away. 

"  I  will  follow  the  giant,"  said  the  eldest  of  the  six. 

Far,  far  to  the  north  sped  the  prince  ;  and  he  came  at  last,  just  as  the 
sun  was  setting,  to  the  giant's  palace. 

He  there  discovered  his  sister  ;  but  when  she  saw  him,  she  hid,  and  the 
prince  knew  that  she  had  fallen   in  love  with  the  .giant. 

He  entered  the  giant's  palace.     The  giant  received   him   kindly,  and  offered 
him  a  pipe,  and  the  two  talked  together  in   a  friend!}-  way  for  some  hours. 
Now  the  giant  was  a  wonderful   musician. 

"Go  to  bed,"  said  the  giant  at  last,  "and  1  will  play  you  a  tune  on  the 
pipe,  and  sing  you  to  sleep." 

The  prince  retired,  and  the  giant  began  to  play  and  sing.  The  room 
was  warm,  as  the  giant  kept  a  roaring  fire  ;  and  the  prince,  who  had  travelled 
far,  soon  fell  asleep.  Then  the  wicked  giant  killed  him  in  his  bed,  and  hid 
his  body  in  a  cave. 


1 56  ZIGZAG  JOURXEYS  IN  AC.4DIA. 

The  five  princes,  finding  that  something  had  detained  their  brother,  con- 
sulted what   they  should  do.      The  eldest  of  the  five  said, — 

"I   will   go  and    find    my  sister  and   brother.     Stay   you  here." 

But  a  long  time  passed  and  he   did  not  return. 

Then  said  the  four  princes,  "  What   shall  we  do } " 

"I  will  go  to  the  North,  and  find  my  sister  and  tzoo  brothers  and  bring 
them  back.     Stay  you  here." 

But  he  did   not  return. 

Then  said   the  three,  "  What  shall  we  do  .^  " 

"  I  will  go  to  the  North,  and  find  my  sister  and  thnr  brothers,  and  will 
brino-  them  back.     Stay  you  here."     So  said  the  eldest  of  the  three. 

But  he  did  not  come  back. 

Then  the  two  princes  said,  "What  shall   we  do  .^  " 

"Stay  you  here,"  said  the  elder  of  the  two.  "I  will  go  and  find  my 
sister  and  four  brothers,  and   bring  them  back  !  " 

But  he  did  not  come  back. 

Then  the  youngest  set  out  in  search  of  his  sister  and  five  brothers,  and 
came  to  the  giant's  palace  in  the  land  of  the  crystal  seas. 

This  prince,  although  the  youngest  of  the  family,  was  brave,  wise,  and 
strong.     The  giant  received  him  graciously. 

"Where  is  my  sister.^"    demanded   the  prince. 

"  She  is  my  wife." 

"  Where  is  my  eldest  brother  .'  " 

"  I   liave  sent  him   to  visit  my   people." 

"  Where  is  my  next  eldest   brother .?  " 

"  I  have  sent  him  to  join  the  other." 

"  y\nd   my  next .'  " 

"  I  have  sent  him   to  join   the  tzuoy 

"  And  the  next  ?  " 

"  To  join  the  tJirccy 

"  And  the  next  .'  " 

"  To  join   the  four." 

"When  will   they  all   ri-turn.'" 

"  After  you  have  rested." 

Then  the  giant  pr(:|)arc:fl  a  bed  for   the  prince,  and  warmed   ihe   room,  and 

said, — 

"You  shall  hear  me  sing  and  play,  but  finst  retire.  To-morrow  you  and 
your   l)rothers  will   be   together." 


-^^^0^ 


THE   PRINCESS    AND   THE   GIANT. 


ANNAPOLIS   {PORT  ROYAL). 


169 


Now  the  prince  was  wise.  He  feared  that  his  brothers  were  dead,  aiul 
that  he  would,  if  he  slept,  indeed  be  with  them  on  the  morrow,  where  their 
bodies  were  concealed. 

So  he  said  to  the  giant, — 

"  Let  me  go  into  the  woods  to  gather  an  herb,  for  I  am  sick;  then  I 
will  go  to  rest." 

The  prince  went  into  the  forest,  and  secured  two  bits  of   firewood  about 


the   size  of  the  pupils   of  his  eyes.     He  returned  to  the  palace,  and  lay  down 
in  the  bed,  and  the  giant  began  to  play  and  to  sing. 

When  the  prince  felt  sleep  stealing  over  him,  he  put  the  two  bits  of  fire- 
wood on  his  eyelids;  and  the  giant,  after  he  had  ceased  to  sing,  looked  at 
him,  and  thought  that  he  could  see  the  light  of  his  eyes,  and  that  he  must 
be  awake. 

The  giant  watched  him  all  night,  but  thought  he  could  see  the  light  of 
his  eyes. 


170  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

The  prince  arose  the  next  morning  and  walked  into  the  great  pine  forest. 
He  followed  the  path  of  the  giant,  and  came  to  a  great  cave.  There  he 
found  the  dead  bodies  of  his  five  brothers. 

He  returned  to  the  palace,  attacked  the  giant,  and  slew  him.  The  soul 
of  the  giant  ascended,  and  was  changed  into  a  star.  The  sister  fled  into 
the  forest,  and  died  of  grief.  Her  soul  ascended,  and  was  changed  into  the 
Star  of  the  North. 

This  story  ought  to  be  true,  as  you  can  see  the  star  now. 

"  Let  us  suppose  the  pious  Chauiplain  to  be  the  next  story-teller. 
His  thoughts  go  over  the  seas  for  some  incident  that  will  turn 
their  thoughts  to  the  life  within  and  the  life  above. 


THE   PALACE    OF    PRAISE. 

The  lights  were  going  out  in  the  old  palace  at  Achen.  There  had  been 
a  banquet.     The  courtly  knights  were  gone,  —  the  palgraves  and  palgravines. 

The  young  King  of  Aquitaine  sat  at  the  deserted  tables.  The  room  was 
empty ;  even  the  minstrels  and  court  fools  were  gone. 

The  feast  had  celebrated  a  conquest,  and  the  conquest  had  crimsoned  the 
Rhine.  It  celebrated  a  war  of  ambition,  crimes,  and  desolation.  The  young 
king,  Aquitania,  was  a  guest  ;  he  had  been  gently  educated  by  Father 
Joseph,  and  the  outpouring  of  wine  to  celebrate  the  outpouring  of  blood  had 
been  a  shadowy  spectacle  to  him. 

In  the  dim  light  of  the  fading  astrals  a  tall  man  in  a  dark  robe  came  into 
the  room.  It  was  Father  Joseph,  the  young  king's  adviser,  who  had  come 
with  him  frr)m  Aquitaine. 

The  two  went  into  the  chajiel.  It  was  late  at  night.  The  clock  had  al- 
rcady'struck  the  hour  whose  strokes  recall  the  apostles. 

The  priest  read  the  lesson.      It  was  from  a  Pauline  epistle:  — 

".Some  men's  sins  arc  made  manifest  before  the  judgment,  and  some  men's 
sins  follow  them  to  the  judgment.      .So,  also,  the  good  works  "  — 

Aquitania  listened. 

— "of  some  men  are  made  known;  but  llie  good  works  that  are  not  now 
known  cannot  he  hidde-n,  —  lime  will  reveal  them." 


A  NNA  POIJS   {^P  OA'  T  RGYAL').  ]  7  1 

The  priest  had  amplified  the  text,  to  make  the  nieaninj^  clear  to  the  boy 
king.      He  added  :  — 

"  The  soul  is  iniilding.  Some  men  are  building  for  themselves  prisons  in 
the  coming  life  ;  some,  palaces  of  praise.  Evil  deeds  turn  into  prisons,  walls, 
and  chains  ;  good  deeds  into  palaces  of  praise.  The  influence  of  good  deeds 
goes  on  forever,  and  the  palace  grows.  Whatever  you  may  lose,  my  son,  do  not 
forfeit  tJiat  palace.     They  that  be  wise  should  shine  as  the  sun." 

A  short  prayer  was  said.  The  next  day  the  two  went  back  to  Aqui- 
taine. 

Years  went  on.  Aquitania  ascended  the  Carlovingian  throne.  He  became 
a  famous  king,  —  famous  for  his  misfortunes,  for  the  losses  of  crowns  and 
kingdoms.  His  losses  came  through  his  unselfishness.  His  people  loved  him, 
and  it  was  said  of  him,  "  He  loves  others  better  than  himself!  " 

He  sent  missionaries  to  the  North.  They  changed  barbarous  tribes  to 
Christian  kingdoms. 

Ambitious  men  conspired  against  him,  and  he  lost  his  throne.  Discrowned 
though  he  was,  his  almsgiving  went  on.  His  influence  was  an  empire  in  it- 
self,—  an  invisible  kingdom.     It  made  men  love  God. 

He  went  to  a  lonely  rock  on  the  Rhine  to  live  alone  in  peace,  to  pray  and 
to  die. 

Father  Joseph  came  to  him  there. 

"My  son,  you  have  lost  your  crowns  and  kingdoms." 

"  My  father,  do  you  remember  your  lesson  in  the  old  palace  chapel  at 
Achen  ?     I  have  not  lost  my  Palace  of  Praise." 

Years  passed.  The  lights  shone  in  the  castles  on  the  hills  at  night ;  his 
island  was  torchless.  The  summers  filled  the  grapes  with  wine  :  the  wine  filled 
for  him  no  golden  goblets.  War  boats  went  by  ;  he  did  not  hail  them,  or  ask 
whither  they  were  going. 

One  night  he  lay  dying  under  the  stars. 

Peacefully. 

Father  Joseph  was  there. 

The  vision  of  the  old  banquet  rose  before  him  when  he  was  a  fair-faced  boy 
and  King  of  Aquitaine. 

"Father  Joseph,  am  I  dying .^" 

"Yes,  my  son." 

"  I  am  going  to  the  Palace  of  Praise." 

The  Rhine  flowed  on,  sobbing  as  it  went  out  into  the  night,  past  the  lumi- 
nous castles,  to  the  sea. 


172  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

The  sceptreless  hands  were  folded  now ;  the  crownless  head  at  rest.  God 
had  crowned  his  life  with  another  life.      The  Rhine  flowed  on. 

His  Palace  of  Praise  was  not  completed.  Churches  multiplied  in  the  North  ; 
Christian  kings  came  out  of  the  old  missions.  Poor  men  spoke  his  name  ; 
and,  as  often,  it  made  them  better.  The  world  for  centuries  has  been  carrying- 
jewels  to  his  Palace  of  Praise. 

The  lights  have  gone  out  in  the  castles  on  the  Rhine  :  the  old  palace  at 
Achen  is  gone  ;  but  the  Palace  of  Praise,  we  may  fancy,  grows  more  beautiful 
in  that  kingdom  which  is  not  of  this  world. 

"They  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  shall  shine  as  the  stars  — 

"  Forev^er." 

"The  good  deeds  that  are  not  now  known  cannot  be  hidden,  —  time  will 
reveal  them."     The  Rhine  flows  on. 

"  We  will  now  suppose  that  Lescarbot  recites  a  poem.  I  cannot  give 
one  of  his  poems  here,  nor  an  imitation  of  one.  You  may  find  some 
of  them  in  the  Boston  Public  Library;  at  least,  the  Ode  to  Champlain. 

"  Next  the  old  Indian  interpreter  speaks:  — 

THE  RETURNED  SOUL. 

It  is  night. 

Look  up.  It  is  bright.  The  stars  are  in  the  sky.  They  grow  brighter  as 
you  ascend.     'J"he  sun  is  above  us.     Glorious  is  the  i)alhway  towards  the  sun. 

Glorious  is  the  pathway  towards  the  sun.  Moca  made  the  journey,  and 
found  it  glorious.  The  celestial  regions  are  there  :  the  land  of  fire.  There 
night  does  not  come.  They  are  not  weary  there.  Those  who  go  there  do  not 
wish  to  return. 

They  do  nol  wish  lo  return.  Do  you  wish  to  go  back  to  childhood,  and  be 
rocked  again  by  the  winds  in  the  trees.'  Do  the  old  desire  to  go  back  lo  the 
labors  of  middle  years  .'     Who  would  call  back  the  dead  lo  lliis  lower  world  t 

Who.'  Moca  did.  He  loved  loo  strong!)'.  Me  IkkI  but  one  child.  That 
child  was  a  son.  He  was  nf)ble  and  brave, —  fair  to  look  u])f)n.  His  name  was 
Ona.  His  plum*-  led  the-  braves.  \Viicrc'\i-r  he  went,  his  father's  heart  went 
with  him. 

His  father's  heail  went  with  him.  Oiia  dic-d,  —  his  soul  went  lo  ihe  regions 
of  the  .Summer  .Maker.  Moca's  heaif  wi-nt  tliere  loo.  Moca  laid  his  tlead  son 
in  the  earth  :   the  scjuaws  wailed  o\er  him  ;   the  biaves  wrung  their  hands  ;   the 


ANNAPOLIS  {PORT  ROYAL).  I73 

maidens  covered  the  place  with  the  shells  that  sini^  of  the  sea.  But  Moca's 
heart  was  dead  to  the  earth  ;  it  followed  his  son's  spirit,  that  had  ascended  to 
the  high  lands  and  the  bright  lands.  Moca  dreamed  of  the  bright  lands.  He 
looked  up  to  the  star  lands  at  night,  and  the  sun  lands  by  day.  When  the 
cloud  lands  only  appeared,  Moca  looked  down  and  wept.  He  said  :  "  Oh  that  I 
could  visit  the  sun  lands  !  Would  not  Pap-Kootparout  give  me  back  again  the 
soul  of  my  son,  my  only  son  ?  The  sun  lands !  the  sun  lands  !  They  are  happy 
in  the  sun  lands.     The  wells  of  light  are  there!" 

The  wells  of  light.  When  Moca  basked  himself  in  the  sun,  he  said  :  "  I 
am  drinking  from  the  wells  of  light !  My  heart  is  there.  Ona  is  there.  They 
say  that  those  who  go  there  do  not  wish  to  come  back.  I  am  going  to  make 
a  journey  to  the  sun  lands  and  ask  Pap-Kootparout  for  the  soul  of  Ona.  Oh 
for  one  hour  with  the  soul  of  Ona  !  It  is  a  beautiful  way.  I  am  going.  Oh 
for  one  hour  amid  the  blessedness  and  brightness  where  Ona  dwells!" 

Blessedness  and  brightness !  The  old  warrior  called  to  him  two  trusty 
friends.  "I  am  going  to  the  star  lands  and  sun  lands,"  he  said,  "to  ask  for  the 
soul  of  Ona.  Will  you  go  with  me } "  They  were  ready  to  go.  They  pre- 
pared themselves  by  fasting  and  prayer.  They  started  one  morning.  The 
morning  was  fair. 

Fair.  A  blue  lake  of  air  lies  between  the  earth  and  the  sun  land,  —  a  great 
sea.  The  waters  are  light  in  the  sea  of  air.  They  are  not  deep.  Moca  and 
his  two  friends  took  with  them  poles  to  make  a  platform  on  which  to  sleep. 
In  the  day  they  journeyed  under  the  sun  lands,  and  at  night  they  slept  under 
the  star  lands.     The  sea  of  air  grew  brighter  and  brighter  as  the  three  went  on. 

Brighter  and  brighter.  They  ascended  above  the  mountains,  then  above 
the  regions  of  the  birds.  At  night  they  spread  out  their  poles,  and  made 
platforms  above  the  waters.  Every  day  grew  more  splendid,  and  every  night 
more  glorious  ;  and  at  last  they  looked  down,  and  the  earth  was  far,  far  away. 

Far,  far  away,  —  an  island  in  the  sea  of  air.  And  above,  in  the  same  sea, 
the  stars  changed  to  islands  of  gold,  and  the  sun  to  a  palace  of  fire.  The  sun 
lands  appeared.  All  was  brightness  and  fragrance,  song  and  bloom.  The 
three  travellers  were  happy.     Said  Moca, — 

"  I  have  never  seemed  to  live  before.     My  soul  expands,  —  it  is  glorious  !" 

Glorious.  But  as  they  crept  up  to  the  shaded  groves  on  the  shore  of  the 
sea  of  air,  Pap-Kootparout  beheld  them,  and  came  running  towards  them.  His 
face  was  terrible.     He  lifted  a  war  club  above  his  head,  and  swung  it  in  the  air. 

"Back,  back!"  he  shouted.  "Go  back  and  leave  your  bodies  in  the  earth. 
You  cannot  come  with  such  perishable  garments  here.     Back  ! " 


174 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA, 


"  Back  ?  "  said  Moca.     "  Do  you  know  a  father's  feelings  ?  " 

"A  father's  feehngs  ?     Are  you  a  father?" 

"A  father?  I  was  once  a  father,  but  my  son  is  here,  —  my  only  son. 
I  have  come  to  ask  from  you  the  gift  of  his  soul.  You  will  not  refuse  me  the 
o-ift  of  the  soul  of  my  only  son.     Let  me  take  it  back  or  remain  here." 

"  Remain  here  ?  That  cannot  be  with 
those  miserable  garments.  Come  and  see 
the  land.     Have  with  me  a  game  of  ball." 

The  three  travellers  had  a  game  of 
ball  with  the  god.  The  god  lost  his  ter- 
rible expression,  and  his  face  grew  shining 
and  glorious.  The  three  travellers  won 
the  game,  and  the  god  invited  them  to  his 
shining  palace  to  partake  of  a  celestial 
feast. 

The  celestial  feast  was  over. 


"  I  pity  a  father's  feelings," 
said  the  god.  "You  are  brave 
men  to  have  dared  so  much.  I 
will  give  you  the  soul  of  your 
son.  But  I  must  imprison  it. 
He  would  never  be  happy  on 
the  earth  again,  lie  would  fly 
upward  if  he  were  to  escape.  I 
must  give  you  the  soul  in  a  bag, 
or  earthy  garment  like  your 
Hut  when   you  return  to  the  earth  again,  put  the 

bag  and  the  soid  in   the  body  of  your  son.      lie   will   then   stride   forth   a  great 

and  glorious  warrior,  and  be  the  champion  of  your  race." 

A  champion.     Moca's  heart  rejoiced.      He  received  from  the  god  the  bag. 

and  hurried  back  to  earth  over  thr  tliin  sra  ..f  air.      His  soul  became  sad  and 


own.      Ho  not  open  the  ba« 


ANNAPOLIS   {FORT  ROYAL). 


'75 


heavy  as  he  came  near  the  earth ;  and  his  companion  said,  "  Would  that  we  had 
never  gone  on  the  journey,  for  we  can  never  be  happy  again  !  " 

Never  again.  They  came  to  the  earth.  They  gathered  together  the 
nation,  and  told  the  story  of  their  ascension  to  the  palaces  of  bhss.  Then 
Moca  gave  the  bag  and  the  soul 
to  a  squaw  to  keep,  while  he 
went  to  disinter  the  body  of  his 
son.  Never  such  a  wonder  hap- 
pened in  all  the  land. 

Never.      Moca    came    back 
with  the  body.     The  sun  shone 
bright.      The     braves     shouted, 
and  the  maidens 
danced  for  joy. 

But  the  joy 
did  not  last.  The 
squaw  to  whom 
had  been  in- 
trusted the  keep- 
ing of  the  bag 
had  a  great  curi- 


osity to  see  the  boy's 
soul.  She  opened 
the  bag  slightly. 

There  was  a  voice 
within. 

"  Let  me  see  the 
sun."  She  opened  it 
wider. 

There  was  a  voice 
in  the  air,  —  "  The 
sun  !  the  sun  !  He 
cannot  dwell  on  the 
earth  who  has  been 
You  will  follow  me 
soon.     The  sun!    the  sun!" 

The  soul  had  flown  away, — as- 
cended. Moca  followed  it  soon  to 
the  land  of  the  sun,  leaving  his 
perishable  garments  in   the  earth. 


"  Such,  we  may  fancy  from  the  old  voyagers'  journals,  was  one 
of  their  feasts,  or  at  least  a  semblance  of   it. 

"  I  know  of  nothing  more  curious  and  romantic  than  the  banquets 
of  this  old  Order  of  Good  Cheer  in  the  palace  of  Port  Royal." 


CHAPTER  VIIL 


TO     THE    LAND    OF    EVAxN CELINE. 


ACADIA. 


i^L^^^^^L^dPi 

y^^i 

'^1 

W{ 

^^ 

HE  Halifax  train  to  Windsor  passes  through  orchards 
and  quiet  villages.  The  traveller  is  charmed  by 
the  poetic  names  of  places  as  well  as  by  the 
pleasing  views.  Romance  is  in  the  air.  He  hears 
of  Gold  River  and  Gaspereaux  Lake.  One  of  the 
towns  is  called  Paradise. 
The  tourist  on  his  way  to  Halifax  will,  of  course,  stop  over 
for  a  day  or  two  at  Wolfville  or  Grand  Pre,  and  visit  the  Land 
of  Evangeline.  The  visit  may  best  be  made  from  Wolfville,  a 
town  with  jjossibly  a  thousand  inhabitants,  having  three  hotels  with 
lovely  names,  —  "  Village  Hotel,"  "  Acadia,"  and  "  The  American," — all 
of  which  owe  much  to  their  nearness  to  Grand  Pre,  made  immortal 
by  Longfellow's  pen.  Acadia  College  (a  Baptist  institution)  is  here, 
and  Acadia  Seminary,  and  Horton  Academy.  The  town  has  the 
atmosphere  of  refmenKMit  and  iiilclligence,  and  is  among  the  few 
Acarlian    places   that    have   a   forbidding   name. 

The  c(jllege  bniidings  are  situated  on  a  hill  overlooking  the 
Basin  of  Minas.  I'loin  the  belfry  of  the  college  one  may  see  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  views  in  the  iVIaritime  Provinces,  and  certainly 
the  most  famous  poetic  locality  in  the  country,  —  Grand  Pre,  or 
the    Great    Meadow    reclaiuR-d    ivom    the    sea;    the    majestic    bluff    of 


I    I 


I'l 


a^^ 


'  I 


im 


THE   LAxVD    OF  EVANGELINE.  j  -n 

Cape    Blomidon,    and    the    Basin    of    Minas    shining    hke    burnished 
silver  in  the  sun. 


THE    STORY    OF    ACADIE. 

Grand  Pre,  —  the  Great  Prairie  or  Great  Meadow,  —  a  most  lovely  and 
fertile  valley,  is  situated,  as  every  lover  of  Longfellow's  pastoral  poem  knows, 
on  the  Basin  of  Minas.  Quaint  dikes  used  to  restrain  the  sea  on  its  border  ; 
for  here  are  felt  the  sudden  forces  of  the  wonderful  tides  of  the  Bay  of 
Fundy.  Over  the  idyllic  meadows  rises  Blomidon.  It  was  one  of  the  most 
lovely  settlements  of  New  France,  with  its  hundreds  of  thatched  roofed  houses 
and  white  chapels.  Its  inhabitants  were  peaceful,  light-hearted,  and  pure 
minded  people,  and,  like  the  patriarchs  of  old,  lived  by  pastoral  occupations. 
Having  no  ambitions  beyond  the  cultivation  of  their  fields  and  the  care  of 
their  families,  religion  was  their  Hfe,  —  a  religion  free  from  the  selfishness 
and  barbarism  of  their  English  neighbors  of  the  time. 

After  the  conquest  of  Acadia  by  Sir  William  Phipps,  the  land  had  a 
brief  rest  under  the  English  flag.  Then  came  the  Chevalier  Villabon  from 
France,  and  hauled  down  the  Red  Cross  and  ran  up  the  White  Lilies  ;  and 
Acadia  found  herself  again  under  the  protection  of  the  parental  crown.  Having 
retaken  Port  Royal  for  F' ranee,  Villabon  proceeded  to  recover  all  the  old  French 
territory  from  the  Bay  of   Fundy  to  the  Penobscot. 

The  re-conquest  led  to  another  invasion  by  the  New  England  colonists, 
led  this  time  by  Colonel  Benjamin  Church,  famous  as  an  Indian  fighter  and 
as  the  slayer  of  King  Philip.  This  man's  piety  has  been  much  exalted, 
though  on  what  grounds  it  would  be  hard  to  tell,  as  his  conscience  never 
seems  to  have  told  him  that  selfishness  and  cruelty  were  wrong,  that  even 
savages  have  feelings,  and  that  peaceful  Catholics  were  entitled  to  his  love 
and  respect.  He  seems  to  have  championed  the  cause  of  an  imaginary  Deity, 
and  to  have  quite  overlooked  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  and  Christ's  teachings 
in  regard  to  the  Samaritans.  It  was  he  who  mutilated  King  Philip's  dead 
body,  and  caused  it  to  be  made  a  dreadful  spectacle  in  the  domain  where 
that  defender  of  the  rights  of  his  race  nobly  perished. 

A  single  incident  will  show  how  wrong  views  of  life  had  turned  this  man's 
heart  wellnigh  to  dust. 

One  night  he  invaded  a  small  island  on  Passamaquoddy  Bay.  The  in- 
habitants, French  and   Indians,  made  no  resistance. 


i8o 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


"  Looking"  over  a  little  run,"  says  Colonel  Church,  "  I  saw  something  black. 

I  stopped  and  heard  a  talking.     I  stepped  over  and  saw  a  little  hut  or  wigwam, 

with  a  crowd  of  people  around  it,  which  was  contrary  to  my  former  directions. 
"  I    asked    them    what    they   were    doing.       They   replied    that    there  were 

some  of  the  enemy  in  a  house  who  would  not  come  out. 

"  I  hastily  bid  them  pull  it  down  and  knock  thain  on  the  head,  never  asking 

whether  they  were  French  or  Indians,  t]icy  being  all  enemies  alike  to  vie'' 
Yet  this  man,  who  had  so  little  sense  of  justice  or  mercy  on  an  occasion 

like  this,  was  heroically  conscientious  about  matters  of  slight  importance. 

The  Acadians  were  not  only  a 
peaceful  people,  but  were  honest  and 
truthful  ever  in  their  dealings  with 
the  Indians.  Their  history  is  dark- 
ened by  no  broken  treaties  and  by 
no  forest  tragedies.  The  Indians 
were  always  their  friends.  To  them 
the  red  man  was  a  brother.  The 
jjiicst  labored  to  convert  him,  to  make 
liim  wiser  and  better,  and  never 
sought  to  defraud  or  destroy  him. 
The  principle  that  Champlain  had 
set  forth,  that  the  conversion  of  a 
single  soul  was  of  more  value  than  the 
conquest  of  an  empire,  prevailed. 
The  Acadian  magistrates  could  never, 
like  certain  magistrates  of  New  Eng- 
land, have  olTered  "  fift)'  jwunds  for 
each  woman  a)id  child  scalped"  in  a 
time  of  trouhli.'  willi  the  nalix'e  races. 
Tlie  Acadian  had  a  cHffcrent  lieart. 
The  Acadians  and  Indians  were 
hrotlurs.  The  Indians  were  to  the 
i\cailiaii.s  wlial  Massasoit  was  to  Ro- 
ger Williams,  when  the  latter  was 
(hi\en  into  exile,  and  sought  the  hos- 
pitality of  his  lotlge  at  Mount  Hope. 
Cliurrh  saw  the  beautiful  \alli-\'  of  Ciaiid  I'rr,  its  jjcaceful  liomes  and  holy 

chapels.      Here  was  an  opjjortunity  foi"  him  to  tlo  his  dutv,  as  lu;  interpreted   it. 


.#^5^>i^^^^^' 


A   N,\ri\ic 


THE  LAND   OF  EVANGELINE.  1 83 

The  fact  that  the  peof)le  were  non-resistants  was  nothing  to  him.  He  burst 
upon  the  settlement  Hke  a  beast  upon  its  prey  ;  and  the  simple  cottages  of  the 
Acadians  vanished  into  smoke,  and  blackness  and  desolation  wrapped  the  land. 

After  a  time  the  Acadians  returned  to  the  valley.  The  dikes  were  built 
again.     The  sea  meadows  again  were  green. 

The  province  of  New  Scotland,  or  Acadia,  passed  under  various  treaties. 
Now  the  English  Cross  floated  over  it ;  now  the  Lilies  of  France.  Grand  Pre 
grew  until  it  became  a  town  of  eighteen  thousand  souls. 

The  account  of  the  Acadians  given  in  Longfellow's  "Evangeline"  is  hardly 
overdrawn,  if  we  may  trust  what  the  Abbe  Reynal  wrote  of  them.  Nearly  all 
of  them  owned  houses,  thatched  by  their  own  hands.  They  pastured  some 
sixty  thousand  head  of  cattle.  They  raised  their  own  wool,  and  manufactured 
their  own  clothes.     Almost  every  family  owned  horses,  cows,  and  sheep. 

They  had  little  or  no  money,  and  needed  none.  Poverty  was  unknown. 
If  one  were  unfortunate,  he  had  a  common  home  with  the  whole  community. 
Instead  of  being  an  outcast,  he  was  adopted  b)'  all.  There  were  no  crimes. 
The  priests  settled  the  few  difficulties  that  arose.  The  churches  were  sup- 
ported by  all  the  people,  who  contributed  for  the  purpose  one  twenty-seventh 
of  their  harvests. 

Grand  Pre,  without  any  false  poetic  colorings,  came  near  realizing  an  almost 
earthly  paradise.  It  certainly  was  one  of  the  purest  and  most  unselfish  com- 
munities that  has  had  even  a  temporary  existence.  Any  man  who  could  have 
desired  the  destruction  of  such  a  community  must  have  had  an  eye  as  pitiless 
as  a  rock,  and  a  heart  as  hard  as  selfishness  can  render  it.  But  the  invaders 
came. 

It  was  September,  1755.  The  harvests  had  been  gathered,  and  the  barns 
were  bursting.  The  community  had  never  before  been  so  happy  and  pros- 
perous. 

As  neutrals  in  the  contest  between  England  and  F"rance,  they  had  taken  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  their  English  conquerors,  but  had  refused  to  take  the  oath 
to  bear  arms  against  their  own  countrymen.  The  Indians  also  would  not 
promise  to  bear  arms  against  the  French. 

One  bright  day,  just  as  summer  was  changing  to  fall,  there  appeared  in  the 
glorious  harbor  of  Minas  five  or  more  ships.  They  were  under  the  general 
command  of  Colonel  John  Winslow,  who,  we  are  sorry  to  say,  was  born  in 
Massachusetts,  and  brought  from  that  colony  a  body  of  armed  men  to  carry  out 
the  despotic  order  of  the  king, 

Winslow  landed,  and  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  people  to  assemble  in 


1 84 


ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


their  church  at  a  certain  hour  of  the  day,  saying  he  would  then  make  known  to 

them  a  new  order  from  the  Crown. 

A  part  of  the  proclamation  read 
as  follows  :  — 

"  We  therefore  order  and  strictly  enjoin 
by  these  presents  all  of  the  inhabitants,  both 
old  men  and  young  men,  as  well  as  all  the 
lads  of  ten  years  of  age,  to  attend  at  the 
church  at  Grand  Pre  on  Frida\',  the  fiftli  in- 
stant, that  we  may  impart  to  them  wiiat  we 
are  ordered  to  communicate  to  them. 

"John  Wixsi.ow.'' 

The  poor  people,  unused  to  de- 
ception, filled  the  church.  Only  men 
were  admitted  within  the  walls. 
Longfellow  pictures  the  women  as 
waiting  outside  in  the  churchyard  on 
the  lovely  autumn  da}',  and  as  gar- 
landing the  graves  of  their  ancestors, 
while  the  king's  order  was  being  pro- 
mulgated. 

The  communication  that  the  de- 
ceitful lips  of  John  Winslow  had  to 
inake  crushed  the  life  out  of  the  heart 
of  every  Acadian  who  lieard  it.  A 
part  of  it   was  as  follows:  — 

"it  is  peremptorily  Ids  Majesty's  orders, 
that  tlie  whole  Frencli  inhabitants  of  these 
districts  be  removed  ;  and  I  am,  through 
his  Majesty's  goodness,  directed  to  allow  you 
the  liberty  to  carry  ofli'your  money  and  house- 
hnlfl  goods,  etc." 

They  were  prisoners   in  their  own 

church.       The    scenes    ihat    followed 

cannot    Ix-  described.       The   men,  un- 

— '-     conscif)Us  of  am'  crime,   begged   jier- 

mission    to   be  allowed    to    \'isit   their 

i.vA.\(a;i.iNK  families  once  more.     With  a  lew  ex- 


iyt^v'^^i 


llMU 


DEATH    OF    KIXG    PHILIP. 


THE  LAND    OF  EVANGELINE. 


187 


captions  this  was  denied.  There  were  not  one  Gabriel  and  one  Evangeline; 
there  were  thousands. 

The  road  from  the  chapel  to  the  shore  was  a  mile  or  more  in  length.  Over 
this  the  men  were  marched  to  the  ships.     Says  an  historian  :  — 

"The  young  men  were  first  ordered  to  go  on  board  one  of  the  vessels. 
This  they  refused  to  do,  declaring  that  they  would  not  leave  their  parents. 
The  troops  were  ordered  to  fix  bayonets  and  advance  upon  the  prisoners. 


THE   BASIN    OF    MIXAS. 


"The  road  from  the  chapel  to  the  shore  was  crowded  with  women  and  chil- 
dren, who  on  their  knees  greeted  them,  as  they  passed,  with  their  tears  and 
their  blessings,  while  the  prisoners  advanced  weeping,  praying,  and  singing 
hymns.  The  detachment  was  followed  by  the  seniors,  who  passed  through  the 
same  scene  of  sorrow  and  distress." 


1 88  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

The  whole  male  population  of  Grand  Pre  were  thus  put  on  board  of  the 
five  transports  ;  and  every  woman's  heart  followed  her  husband,  brother,  or  son, 
as  Evangeline's  feet  are  represented  to  have  gone  out  after  Gabriel.  The  vil- 
lage was  left  in  flames.     Truly 

"  Nought  but  tradition  remains  of  the  beautiful  valle}'  of  (irand  Pre." 

It  has  vanished  from  the  earth.  An  aged  willow  is  shown  that  is  said  to 
mark  the  site  of  the  shop  of  Basil  the  blacksmith.  The  road  taken  by  the 
e.xiles  on  their  heavy-hearted  way  to  the  king's  ships  is  pointed  out.  The  place 
is  colored  with  romance  by  its  historic  associations  and  the  poem. 

It  is  said  that  Longfellow  would  never  visit  Grand  Pre,  lest  it  should  destroy 
his  own  ideal.  He  need  not  have  cherished  this  fear.  The  scene  of  the  trag- 
edy is  a  place  of  superlative  beauty.  The  sea,  the  mountain,  the  orchards,  the 
prairie.,  all  have  a  wondrous  charm  when  the  summer  fills  with  splendor  the 
I^asin  of  Minas  and  the  meadows  of  the  sea. 

Acadia  is  still  to  be  found  in  Louisiana,  with  its  traditional  homes  of  sim- 
ple religious  faith  and  true  affections.  The  Acadians  have  had  little  to  disturb 
their  quiet  habits  in  the  lands  beneath  the  warm,  sunny  skies  of  the  South. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


HALIFAX   AND    LOUISBURG. 


e, 


ALIFAX  is  indeed  a  city  of  the  sea.  Its  harbor 
would  hold  the  navies  of  the  world.  No  other  nat- 
ural harbor  surpasses  it ;  it  is  the  pride  of  the  Prov- 
ince, in  which  pride  England  shares.  It  is  always 
accessible,  always  safe  ;  and  a  thousand  ships  might 
pass  and  repass  at  the  same  time.  Here  are  to  be 
seen  the  flags  of  all  nations  on  peaceful  errands  of  trade. 

Halifax  is  not  a  great  city.  It  does  not  number  quite  forty  thou- 
sand inhabitants.  Its  site  is  noble.  The  city  stands  upon  a  peninsula, 
and  is  literally  founded  upon  a  rock. 

It  rises  to  a  height  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  feet  from  the 
water's  edge,  and  is  crowned  by  a  citadel.  In  some  of  its  features  it 
resembles  Quebec. 

The  citadel  was  begun  by  the  Duke  of  Kent,  the  father  of  Queen 
Victoria.  The  water  view  from  the  citadel  on  a  fair  day  is  one  of  the 
most  noble  and  delio-htful  on  the  coast.  The  calm  harbor,  the  distant 
fog-banks,  the  deep  color-line,  the  islands,  the  far-off  hills  and  pri- 
meval forests,  the  dock-yard  with  its  display  of  England's  naval  power, 
the  city  with  its  thick  spires,  combine  to  present  a  view  that  long 
holds  the  eye  and  leaves  its  impress  on  the  memory. 

It  is  a  rich  city.  Its  merchants  are  not  men  who  have  acquired 
sudden  wealth,  but  have  gained  it  by  useful  enterprises  and  honorable 
dealing. 


iqO  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

St.  John  is  almost  an  American  city.  It  is  as  social  and  demo- 
cratic as  a  new  town  of  the  West.  Americans  like  St.  John,  and  St. 
John's  people  seem  to  like  Americans. 

Halifax  is  British  and  aristocratic.  The  presence  of  military- 
forces  tends  to  foster  this  feeling.  No  city  could  be  more  loyal  to  the 
Crown. 

The  Public  Garden  is  most  beautiful.  The  remains  of  the  once 
splendid  estate  of  the  Duke  of  Kent  recall  very  dramatic  associations. 
The  old  Province  House  was  once  the  finest  building  in  North 
America. 

In  the  summer  of  1746  the  French  armada,  consisting  of  some 
forty  ships-of-war  and  thirty  transports,  and  an  army  of  thirty-one 
lumdred  soldiers,  sailed  out  of  Brest,  under  orders  to  occupy  Louis- 
burg,  reduce  Nova  Scotia,  and  destroy  Boston.  The  fleet  was  dis- 
persed by  unparalleled  storms.  The  commander,  the  Due  d'Anville, 
reached  Halifax  with  only  two  ships.  The  ruin  of  the  expedition 
cau.sed  the  duke's  death  ;  and  the  vice-admiral  committed  suicide  for 
the  same  reason.     It  may  be  well  in  this  connection  to  speak  of 

QUEEN   VICTORIA  AND    THE    ENGLISH    COLONIES. 

In  June,  1884,  Ouccn  \'ictoria  completed  the  forty-seventh  year  of  her  reij]^n, 
which  began  on  the  20lh  of  June,  1837,  the  day  on  which  King  WilHam  IV. 
died.  She  comiiletcd  the  sixty-fifth  year  of  her  life  twenty-seven  days  earlier, 
May  24,  1884. 

Thu.s  far  the  reign  of  Victoria  has  been  fortunate,  though  she  has  had  her 
share  of  the  disappf)intments  and  afflictions  that  are  incident  to  every  human 
life.  As  compared  with  the  reigns  of  most  monarchs,  hers  may  well  be  thought 
cinincnlly  successful,  both  personally  and  politically.  A  long  reign  is  considered 
evidence  of  good  fortune  in  a  sovereign,  thcnigh  some  very  good  sovereigns  have 
h.id  very  brief  reigns. 

Trierl  by  this  last  consideration,  Oueeii  Victoria  may  be  classed  as  a  very 
fortunate  monarch.  There  had  been,  previous  to  her  ascension  to  it,  thirty-four 
sovereigns  on  the  English  (later,  British)  throne  since  the  date  of  the  Normau 
Conquest  (a.i>.  1066)  ;  :nid  of  thes(-,  only  six  had  long  reigns. 


HALIFAX  AND   LOUIS  BURG. 


193 


The  exceptions  are,  Menry  III.  (1216-1272),  Edward  Iir.  (1327-1377). 
Henry  VI.  (1422-1461),  Henry  VIII.  (1509-1547),  P:iizabeth  (1558-1603),  and 
George  HI.  (1760-ICS20J. 

The  length  of  her  reign  exceeds  those  of  all  her  predecessors  but  Henry  III., 
Edward  \\\.,  and  George  III.  ;  and  if  it  should  be  extended  to  the  beginning  of 
1897,  her  possession  of  the  throne  would  be  longer  than  that  of  all  her  prede- 
cessors, as  then  she  would  have  enteretl  upon  the  last  half  of  the  sixtieth  year 
of  her  reign  and  tlie  seventy-eighth  year  of  her  life. 

No  English  sovereign  has  reigned  sixty  years.  The  longest  reign  of  any 
English  monarch  was  that  of  George  HI.  He  was  given,  also,  the  longest  life. 
He  died  in  the  sixtieth  year  of  his  reign.  Henry  III.  ascended  the  throne  when 
he  was  but  nine  or  ten  years  old  (1216),  and  died  in  1272.  Edward  HI.  died  in 
the  fifty-first  year  of  his  reign.  Henry  VI.  was  dethroned  in  tlie  thirty-ninth 
year  of  his  reign.  Henry  VIII.  reigned  almost  thirty-eight  years,  and  I^lizabeth 
more  than  forty-five. 

Victoria  has  sat  upon  the  throne  longer  than  any  sovereign  of  the  Anglo- 
Norman  line  (1066-1154);  longer  than  any  of  the  Angevine  line,  commonly 
called  Plantagenets  (i  154-1485),  excepting  Henry  HI.  and  Edward  HI.  ;  longer 
than  any  sovereigns  of  the  Tudor  line  (1485-1603) ;  longer  tlian  an)- of  the  Eng- 
lish sovereigns  of  the  Stuart  line  (1603-1689)  ;  longer  than  the  two  sovereigns 
of  the  Nassau-Orange-Stuart  line  ( 1 689-1 702) ;  longer  than  Anne  (1702-1714); 
and  longer  than  any  sovereign  of  the  Hanoverian  line  (1714-1873),  excepting 
George  HI.,  who  was  her  grandfather. 

It  is  proper  to  form  an  opinion  of  the  possibility  that  hers  will  be  an  extended 
life  and  a  long  reign,  from  the  character  of  her  family  in  respect  to  longevity. 

George  I.,  first  king  of  the  Hanoverian  line,  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven, 
in  1727,  and  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  his  reign.  His  mother,  Sophia,  Electress 
of  Hanover,  lived  to  be  eighty-four. 

George  H.  died  at  seventy-seven,  in  1760,  in  the  thirt)'-fourth  year  of  his 
reign.  His  eldest  son,  Frederick,  Prince  of  Wales,  who  never  became  king,  died 
at  forty-four,  in  175 1.  He  was  great-grandfather  of  Queen  Victoria;  and  his 
wife  did  not  live  to  a  great  age. 

George  HI.  died  in  his  eighty-second  year,  George  IV.  in  his  sixty-eighth 
year,  and  William  IV.  in  his  seventy-second  year. 

The  Duke  of  Kent,  father  of  Queen  Victoria,  died  in  his  fifty-third  year. 
Her  mother,  the  Duchess  of  Kent,  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  Some  of  the 
queen's  relatives,  descended  from  George  H.  and  George  HI.,  lived  to  be  old. 

The  average  length  of  the  reign  of  Victoria's  thirty-four  predecessors  (count- 
ing William  III.  and  Mary  II.  as  one,  for  they  reigned  jointl}-)  is  under  twenty- 

13 


1^4  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

three  years,  and  she  has  already  exceeded  that  average  by  more  than  one  half, 
and  she  may  treble  it. 

Some  sovereigns  of  Continental  Europe  have  bad  very  long  reigns.  Louis 
XIV.,  of  France,  died  in  the  seventy-third  year  of  his  reign,  and  Louis  XV. 
in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  reign.  Ferdinand  L,  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  reigned 
almost  sixty-six  years.  Frederick  III.,  Emperor  of  Germany,  reigned  about  fifty- 
three  years.  Probably  all  these  long-reigning  monarchs  found  out  the  truth 
contained  in  the  words  of  the  old  Spanish  poet:  "Those  who  know  most  of 
life  know  most  of  care." 

HER    COLONIES. 

The  great  orator  and  statesman  of  the  last  century,  Edmund  Burke,  once 
boasted  that  England  rules  over  an  empire  "on  which  the  sun  never  sets."  He 
meant  that  throughout  the  twenty-four  hours  the  sun  in  his  course  was  shining 
upon  some  part  of  the  British  dominions,  and  that  in  every  part  of  the  globe 
were  to  be  found  countries  and  colonies  which  acknowledged  allegiance  to  the 
British  Crown. 

This  is  even  more  true  to-day  than  it  was  when  Burke  made  the  famous 
vaunt.  Since  his  time  England  has  gone  on  sending  out  and  establishing  colo- 
nies here  and  there,  until  now  that  "  right  little,  tight  little  island  "  holds  sway 
over  no  less  than  one  third  of  the  surface  of  our  earth,  and  Queen  Victoria's 
subjects  comprise  nearly  a  fourth  of  its  entire  population. 

England,  indeed,  has  been  the  greatest  and  most  successful  mother  of  colo- 
nies among  modern  nations.  She  has  rivalled  Rome  in  the  creation  of  colonial 
communities,  and  has  spread  her  power,  as  Rome  did,  by  planting  little  nations 
of  her  own  people  wherever  she  could  get  a  foothold. 

Other  modern  nations  have  attempted  to  create  colonies,  but  this  has  usually 
been  without  success.  Holland,  Spain,  and  Portugal  have  to  some  extent  suc- 
ceeded :  for  the  Dutch  still  have  flourishing  colonies  in  Java  and  Sumatra  ;  the 
Spanish  colonized  Mexico,  Central  America,  and  many  parts  of  South  America  ; 
and  the  Portuguese  once  had  powerful  colonies  in  the  I-^ast. 

I'Vance,  Germany,  and  Italy,  on  the  other  hand,  have  never  been  success- 
ful in  making  colonies  ;  and  the  United  States  Iiavo  never  as  yet  tried  the 
experiment. 

'i'hc  possessions  of  l'"ng]and  over  the  globe  comprise  an  area  of  four  and  a 
half  million  sfjuare  miles,  thirty  times  the  ai"ea  of  the  island  of  Great  Britain 
itself.  The  territory  contained  in  J^ritish  America  is  much  larger  than  that 
included  in  the  United  States.  ICngland  rules  over  a  million  square  miles  in 
Asia,  and  two  and  a  half  milhoM  in  y\uslralasia. 


GEORGE    I. 


HALIFAX  AND  LOUISDURG. 


197 


On  every  continent  her  flag  floats  over  some  colony  or  province  ;  and  in  all 
she  has  no  less  than  thirty-nine  colonial  j^rovinces  and  groups.  In  Europe  she 
holds  Gibraltar  and  the  islands  of  Malta  and  Heligoland  ;  in  Africa,  the  island 
of  Ascension,  the  colony  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  gold  coast  of  Guinea, 
Mauritius,  Natal,  and  other  places  ;  in  Asia,  the  islands  of  Hong  Kong,  Ceylon, 
Labuan,  and  Parim,  besides  the  mighty  Empire  of  India,  and  a  number  of  settle- 
ments in  China  and  the  Archipelago  ;  in  Australasia,  Australia,  New  Zealand, 
New  South  Wales,  and  Feejee  ;  in  America,  all  the  territory  north  of  the  United 
States  except  Alaska  ;  the  Bermudas  and  Bahamas,  Falkland  Islands,  Jamaica, 
Guiana,  Honduras,  and  many  islands. 

For  over  two  hundred  and  seventy  years  this  system  of  colonizing  has  been 
carried  on  by  the  English.     As  long  ago  as  in    1605  she  took  possession  of  the 


IqS  zigzag  journeys  in  ACADIA. 

Windward  Islands  ;  and  she  is  even  now  adding  to  her  list  of  colonies  on  the 
African  coast. 

The  English  colonies  are  divided  into  three  classes,  according  to  the  way  in 
which  they  are  governed.  The  "  Crown  colonies,"  among  which  are  Jamaica, 
most  of  the  African  settlements,  and  India,  are  governed  entirely  by  the  home 
government  at  London,  which  makes  and  executes  their  laws. 

The  "representative  colonies,"  among  which  are  the  Bermudas,  Natal,  and 
Western  Australia,  have  their  own  parliaments,  while  the  home  power  appoints 
all  the  officials  Finally,  the  colonies  with  "responsible  governments,"  which 
include  Canada,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  the  Australian  colonies,  not  only 
make  their  own  laws,  but  appoint  their  own  officers,  the  Crown  being  repre- 
sented by  a  governor  or  governor-general. 

Napoleon  once  said  to  Fox,  pointing  to  a  terrestrial  globe,  "  See  what  a 
little  place  you  occupy  in  the  world  ! "  He  would  not  make  a  like  remark  were 
he  living  to-day.  No  colonies  are  more  loyal  to  the  queen  than  is  the  vast 
Empire  of  Canada,  and  no  city  in  America  is  more  thoroughly  imbued  with 
patriotic  devotion  to  the  Crown  than  Halifax. 

There  has  been  a  great  deal  of  discussion  in  England  during  the  past  few 
years,  whether  it  is  not  best  to  give  such  colonies  as  desire  it  their  indepen- 
dence. Nearly  all  the  English  colonies,  indeed,  now  have  free  institutions, 
and  are  practically  independent  ;  they  yield  little  pecuniary  profit  to  the  home 
power,  while  that  power  has  the  burden  of  defending  them  from  attack. 

The  general  conclusion  seems  to  have  been  reached  that  when  the  colonies 
themselves  desire  to  dissolve  the  bond  between  them  and  the  mother-country, 
and  become  nations,  the  latter  will  not  object  ;  but  the  colonies  are  slow  to  give 
up  the  advantage  of  British  protection  from  assault,  and  as  yet  none  of  them 
have  shown  a  very  earnest  disposition  to  be  independent. 


A  CONCERT  THAT  THINNED  THE  HOUSE. 

The  .success  of  the  concert  in  .St.  Jolin  gave  the  Class  great 
confidence  of  like  resiilt^  in  other  cities.  Charlie  Noble  did  not 
consider  tlie  fact  that  as  .St.  Jolin  is  a  city  of  strong  American 
tendencies  and  sympathies,  and  'a^  the  concert  had  been  advertised 
by  the  free  concerts,  the  result  was  the  simple  relation  of  cause  and 
effect. 


SEE    WHAT    A    LITTLE    PLACE    VOU    OCCUPY    T\    THE    V.'ORLD  !  " 


HALIFAX  AND   LOUISBURG.  20I 

"We  shall  have  a  house  in  Halifax  tliat  will  open  Master  Lewis's 
eyes,"  said  Charlie,  on  the  day  of  the  boys'  arrival  at  the  old  provin- 
cial capital. 

He  was  right.  It  did.  It  opened  the  eyes  of  the  Class  as  well, 
and  Charlie's  own  eyes,  but  hardly  in  the  way  that  he  had  expected. 

The  night  of  the  concert  was  favorable.  The  Class  arrived  at 
the  ante-room  at  eight  o'clock,  and  soon  after  entered  in  procession 
by  a  side  door. 

The  hall  looked  like  a  chasm, 

Charlie  stopped  in  amazement  in  the  middle  of  the  platform, 
and  said  to  an  usher,  — 

"  Where  are  all  the  people  gone." 

"■Gone?     They  —  they  —  they  are  not  here  ji/^/." 

There  were  just  twenty  persons  in  the  hall,  and  of  these  nine- 
teen were  in  the  gallery.  The  floor  was  occupied  by  one  solitary 
man,  —  a  fat,  jolly-looking  old  gentleman.  He  pounded  his  cane  on 
the  floor  as  the  boys  came  upon  the  platform.  The  hall  echoed 
the  gracious  old  gentleman's  applause,  as  though  it  had  been  a 
hollow  cave. 

Master  Lewis  came  upon  the  platform.  His  eyes  were  opened, 
as  Charlie  had  predicted. 

He  said  to  the  boys  in  an  undertone, — 

"Give  as  good  a  concert  as  though  the  house  was  full.  Imagine 
an  audience,  and  do  your  best." 

"  Oh,  my  America"  was  well  sung.  The  hollowness  of  the  galler- 
ies and  the  emptiness  of  the  floor  gave  the  loud  tones  a  very  oratorical 
effect.  When  the  pianissimo  part  was  reached,  and  the  words 
"  Oh,  my  America,"  were  finding  a  lodgement  among  the  g,rches, 
a  broad  voice  whispered  in  the  gallery,  — 

"  The  boys  are  crying  for  home  ;  hear  them,  — '  Oh,  my  America  ! '  " 

Charlie  Noble  grew  red  in  the  face. 

After  the  first  piece  the  old  gentleman  who  occupied  all  of  the 


202  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

lower   floor,    again    thumped    with    his    cane,   and    there    was  a  dead 
silence. 

The  Class  sang  "  New  England,"  and  the  good-natured  old  gentle^ 
man  thumped  again. 

-"  The  Red,  White,  and  Blue  "  seemed  greatly  to  please  the  solitary 
old  gentleman,  and  it  was  applauded  by  the  scattered  people  in  the 
gallery  as  \vell. 

"  Now  give  us  *  Yankee  Doodle,' "  said  a  voice  in  the  gallery. 

Just  at  this  point  there  was  an  appalling  interruption;  five  of  the 
nineteen  persons  in  the  gallery  got  up  and  left,  leaving  fourteen. 

Charlie  Noble's  face  wore  an  expression  of  bewilderment. 

" '  Yankee  Doodle ! ' "  called  several  voices  from  the  gallery.   - 

"  '  The  tune  that  the  old  cow  died  of,' "  called  another  voice, 

Charlie's  face  blazed. 

•'  When  the  British  evacuated  Boston,"  said  Charlie,  "  it  was  to 
the  tune  of  '  Yankee  Doodle.'  As  you  ask  for  it  again,  we  will  now 
sing  it." 

The  song  was  given,  but  with  some  misgivings.  The  old 
gentleman   thumped  tremendously. 

An  evacuation  followed,  that  illustrated  the  old  adage  that  "  mis- 
fortunes never  come  singly."  Seven  more  people  arose  and  left, 
and  there  now  remained  but  nine  people  in  the  hall,  including  the 
old  gentleman. 

After  "The  Lake  of  the  Dismal  Swamp"  had  been  sung,  two 
more  people  rose,  and  left  vacancy  behind  them,  so  that  now  there 
remained  but  seven. 

"  Do  they  miss  me  at  home  ?  "  was  very  feelingly  sung.  Two  more 
of  the  audience  vanished  into  the  land  of  mystery,  and  now  there 
were  five. 

"The  Vacant  Chair"  seemed  suggestive  of  vacancy,  and  two 
others  left;  three  now  remained,  inekuliiig  the  generous  old  gentle- 
man, who  continued   to  tliunip  after  every  song. 


c^:A/yA 


VICTORIA. 


IfALIFAX  AND   LOUISBURG.  205 

"  When  shall  wc  three  meet  again  ? "  had  the  doleful  effect  of 
causing  two  more  to  follow  those  who  had  joined  the  great  outside 
world,  and  the  old  sfentleman  was  left  all  alone. 

"  Let 's  sing  '  The  Fine  Old  English  Gentleman,'  and  then  go 
to  the  hotel,"  whispered  Charlie. 

This  song  seemed  greatly  to  delight  the  audience  of  one.  The 
audience  a^pplauded  loudly. 

The  boys  made  their  farewell  bow;  and  before  they  had  filed 
out  of  the  side  door,  the  sexton  had  turned  off  the  lights. 

"  I  hate   Halifax,"  said  Charlie. 

"Hush!"  said  Master  Lewis,  "we  arc  ourselves  to  blame.  Had 
we  used  the  same  methods  as  in  St.  John,  the  result  would  have 
been  the  same,  or  at  least  better  than  now.  Results  follow  effort 
in  concerts  as  in  all  other  things.  The  lesson  will  be  worth  some- 
thing.     I  am  glad   that   the  old  gentleman   enjoyed  it." 

The  next  morning,  a  note  was  received  at  the  hotel  for  the 
"American  Boys."     It  read  briefly, — 

Bovs,  —  Stand  by  your  flag.  I  always  have  by  mine.  You  did  well  yesterday.  I  learn 
you  are  on  the  way  to  O'-'^l^^'^-     ^  enclose  passes.     Better  luck  next  time. 

The  Old  Admiral. 

The  passes  were  on  the  Steamship  Company.  They  were  worth 
at  least  a  hundred  dollars. 

"  So  the  concert  was  a  success,  after  all,"  said  Charlie.  "  It  was 
worth  the  concert,  to  meet  such  a  good  soul  as  '  the  Old  Admiral.' 
I  think  I  would  like   Halifax." 

LOUrSBURG. 

For  the  erection  of  the  fortress  of  Louisburg,  France  paid  thirty 
million  livres.  A  hundred  years  ago  it  was  the  great  fortress  of 
America.  To-day  it  is  a  sheep  pasture.  Would  that  every  fortress 
could  be  transformed  with  safety  into  a  field  at  once  so  useful  and  so 


2o6  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  TN  ACADIA. 

picturesque  and  poetic !  The  sheep  pasture  of  Louisburg  In  summer 
is  a  most  deUghtful  place. 

A  broken  sea-wall  of  hewn  stone,  the  outlines  of  a  vast  amphitheatre, 
a  glacis,  avenues  amid  burled  ruins,  still  remain.  The  green  grass 
grows  over  all;  and  there  the  sheep  peacefully  graze,  and  shepherd- 
boys  watch  them,  while  the  cool  winds  temper  the  heat  of  the  sun.  A 
noble  harbor  lies  under  the  eye ;  afar  is  the  limitless  sea. 

The  fortress  did  not  leap  into  life.  It  was  built  to  hold  an  army, 
and  it  cost  the  labor  of  twenty-five  years.  The  walls  rose  to  a  height 
of  thirty-six  feet,  and  were  nearly  three  miles  in  circumference.  Its 
foundations  were  laid  immediately  after  the  death  of  Louis  XIV.,  and 
it  was  named  In  honor  of  Louis  XV. 

We  can  see  It  in  fancy  as  it  loomed  over  the  Bay,  with  its  embra- 
sures for  a  hundred  and  forty-eight  cannon.  It  was  both  a  fortress 
and  a  military  towm.  On  an  island  in  the  harbor  was  a  battery  of 
thirty  cannon,  and  at  a  point  of  the  harbor  was  another  battery  of 
twenty-eight  guns,  most  of  them  forty-two  pounders.  There  was  a 
church  in  the  fortress,  and  over  all  floated  the  Lilies  of  France. 

A  light-house  gleamed  from  the  high  cliff;  sentries  paced  along 
the  walls;  the  harbor  was  iilled  with  the  war-ships  of  Louis.  And 
here  New  France  was  deemed  impregnable ;  here  she  held  the  key  of 
the  Great  Gulf,  and  here  she  hoped  to  j^rotect  forever  the  richest  fish- 
eries of  the  sea.  Little  did  the  solemn  sentry  of  a  century  or  more 
ago  dream  of  the  ruin  of  to-day. 

1l  took  two  years  to  IjIow  up  the  immense  walls.  The  result  of 
this  two  years'  labor  still  appears  in  an  outline  of  the  walls.  Green 
mounds  of  earth  eo\'er  all.  Louisburg  is  like  a  graveyard.  It  is  the 
tomb,  rather  than  the  ruin,  of  a  fortress. 

The  Class  made  an  excursion  to  the  ruins  of  the  once  proud  for- 
tress, and  then  returned  to  Halifax.  The  excursion  led  Master  Lewis 
to  relate  some  intciLslina^  historic  stories  in  relation  to  Louisburc^  and 
the  settlement  (jf  I  ialifax,  one  of  which  is  given  here. 


LOUIS    XIV.    IN    OLD   AGE. 


HALIFAX  AND  LOUISBURG.  209 


THE    OLD    HOUSE   ON    CAMBRIDGE   COMMON. 

It  was  in  July,  1843,  and  the  evening  before  Washington  Allston's  funeral. 
I  arrived  in  Boston  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  immediately  started  for  Old  Cam- 
bridge, where  I  expected  to  spend  several  days,  attend  the  memorial  service  of 
the  poet-artist,  and  witness  his  interment  in  the  historic  churchyard. 

The  old  house  in  Cambridge  where  I  was  to  pass  the  night  stood  near  the 
colleges,  on  the  very  ground  where  the  Shepard  Memorial  Church  now  stands. 

My  friend  Kenyon,  whom  I  was.  to  visit,  had  told  me  something  about  the 
place.  It  had  belonged  to  a  family  by  the  name  of  Moore.  Deacon  Moore  was 
a  prominent  man  in  colonial  days  and  during  the  Revolutionary  period,  and  was 
the  treasurer  of  Dr.  Holmes's  church,  as  I  shall  soon  have  occasion  more  par- 
ticularly to  explain. 

I  had  heard  Kenyon  say  that  from  the  windows  of  the  house  a  crowd  of 
bright  eyes  had  witnessed  the  cavalcade  that  conducted  Washington  to  Cam- 
bridge. The  old  elm  stands  only  a  little  distance  from  the  jilace  under  which 
the  young  General,  in  1775,  took  command  of  the  army. 

Lombard  poplars  shaded  the  house  in  front,  if  I  remember  rightly,  —  tall, 
spectral  trees,  on  which  the  moonhght  was  falling.  There  were  two  porticos, 
between  which  the  visitor  was  expected  to  make  a  choice  according  to  his  social 
rank  or  station  ;  at  least,  it  had  been  so  in  a  former  day,  and  the  house  suggested 
still  a  colonial  rather  than  a  republican  code  of  etiquette.  But  I  was  not  obliged 
to  make  choice  between  them,  as  my  friend  was  expecting  me,  and  stood  wait- 
ing for  me  in  the  deep,  cool  shadows  before  the  open  door. 

After  supper  we  entered  the  roomy  parlor,  where  the  windows  were  open  and 
the  lights  turned  low,  and  talked  of  our  school-days  and  old  friends  who  were 
changed  and  gone. 

My  feelings  were  somewhat  mellowed  by  the  subject.  There  was  a  stillness 
about  the  room,  the  house,  and  the  colleges,  which  impressed  me  ;  and  I  suddenly 
recollected  that  I  had  heard  Kenyon  say,  when  we  were  school  chums,  that  there 
was  some  strange  mystery  associated  with  the  place.  I  reminded  him  of  the 
remark,  which  began  to  awaken  a  deep  curiosity  in  my  mind,  and  asked, — 

"  Was  the  mysterious  person  supposed  to  be  old  Deacon  Moore  .'' " 

He  smiled  faintly,  and  said  :  "  You  are  tired  and  nervous,  and  we  will  pass  all 
that  now  ;  these  old  stories  have  not  been  revived  for  years.  Nearly  every  old 
house  in  Cambridge  that  outdates  the  present  century  has  its  legend  ;  and  this, 

14 


2IO 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


DEACON    MOORE'S    HOUSE. 


I  believe,  is  no  exception  to  the  rule  of  traditional  ghost^lore,  but  in  thai 
respect  is  rather  a  remarkable  estate.  But  stran_i,'c  old  Deacon  Moore  has 
ceased  to  walk  nights,  if  indeed  he  ever  was  troublesome  ;  and  the  mending  of 
outhouses,  doors,  and  fences  is  now  Irft  wholly  to  carpenters.  How  the  story 
of  the  deacon's  ghostly  wanderings  used  to  unnerve  me  when  I  was  a  boy  ! 
J  pity  one,"  he  c(jntinucd,  "who  is  subject  to  nervous  fears.  There  is  one 
ro(jm  in  this  house  that  I  used  to  dread,  though  I  cannot  tell  why.  My  im- 
pressi(jns,  I  have  always  noticed,  haw  some  association  with  reality.  Tiiis 
impression —  the  dread,  the  fear,  I  used  to  experience  on  spending  an  hour  in  that 
room  — seems  to  be  c-auseless,  and  yet  I  have  a  feeling  that  more  cause  for  it  may 
yet  be  discovered.  15ul  it  will  hardiv  do  to  dwell  \\\h)\\  liiis  subject,  for  we  are 
to  .spend  the  night  in  that  very  room.  There  is  little  danger  that  the  old  ner- 
vf>us  horror  will  return  upon  me  again,  especially  in  your  company.  I  used  to 
suffer  the  most  from  it,  if  I  remember  ri-Iilly,  when  my  mind  was  not  fully  occu- 
pied, and  when  I  iiad   been  e.xciled  with  niu(  h  ( mnpany  and   suddenly  left  alone. 


HALIFAX  AND  LOUISBURG.  2  I  I 

The  place  was  once  iny  study  and  sleeping-room,  but  I  have  not  slept  there  now 
for  many  years.  It  has  been  fitted  up  for  me  again,  while  a  part  of  the  house  is 
undergoing  repairs." 

Kenyon  rose  to  go  into  another  room,  asking  to  be  excused  that  he  might 
speak  with  Mr.  Gennison  before  the  family  retired. 

He  was  gone  a  long  time ;  and  when  he  returned,  he  proposed  that  we 
should  go  at  once  to  our  room,  saying  he  knew  I  must  be  tired. 

The  room  wa.'i  large,  quaint,  and  old-fashioned  ;  and  there  was  something  in 
the  remarks  that  Kenyon  had  made  that  immediately  interested  me  in  it. 

It  was  a  still,  lovely  night ;  and  the  moon,  now  risen  in  full  splendor,  covered 
the  colleges  and  churches  like  a  sea  of  haze,  and  barred  with  long  lines  of  li^ht 
the  uncarpeted  floor.  I  do  not  know  but  the  moonlight  heightened  the  effect  of 
Kenyon's  suggestions  of  some  mysteriousness  about  the  apartment,  —  romance  so 
frequently  associates  moonlight  with  what  is  mysterious  ;  but,  however  this  may 
be,  my  feelings  impelled  me  to  ask  further  questions,  although  the  subject  had 
evidently  become  distasteful  to  my  triend  now  that  we  were  in  the  room. 

"Did  you  once  think  the  room  was  haunted.-'"   I  ventured. 

"  No,  not  exactly  that,"  he  said  curtly  ;  "  still  it  used  to  seem  to  me  that 
there  were  shapes  and  objects  in  it  that  could  be  felt  rather  than  seen,  —  some- 
thing wrong,  something  that  ought  not  to  be.  There  will  be  many  artists  and 
literary  men  in  town  to-morrow.  We  hardly  appreciated  Allston  here ;  he  led 
such  a  quiet,  dignified,  retired  life." 

'■  Are  there  many  old  houses  in  Cambridge  famous  for  legends  or  ghost 
lore  .''  "  I  resumed. 

"Yes;  there  was  the  Vassall  house  (Longfellow's),  and  the  Royal  house  at 
Medford,  and  —  " 

"  But  this  house,  you  said  it  held  a  first  rank  in  old  colonial  superstitions,  I 
believe  ^  " 

"  Not  in  colony  times,  but  after  that." 

"  Was  it  reported  to  be  haunted  .'' " 

"  Would  you  sleep  more  quietly  if  you  knew  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  truth  is  better  than  suspense." 

"  After  Deacon  Moore  died  some  peculations  were  found  to  have  been  com- 
mitted." 

."  Well .? " 

"  Well,  the  deacon  was  a  very  restless  man  before  he  died.  He  had  a 
strange  habit  of  wandering  about  the  premises  nights,  with  a  hammer  or  hatchet 
in  his  hand,  repairing  outhouses  and  fences,  and  making  the  neighbors  very  un- 
quiet at  unseasonable  hours." 


212  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  Well  ?  " 

"  Well,  after  he  died,  it  was  discovered  that  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  ap- 
propriating money  to  his  own  use  from  the  church  treasury,  and  suspicion  fell 
upon  his  character. 

"  Well  ? " 

"  Well,  t/ic  sou /ids  cojitinucdy 

"  What  sounds  ?  " 

"  Oh,  the  hammering  and  the  thumping  and  the  driving  of  nails  in  the  night." 

"  But  you  surely  do  not  believe  that  any  such  disturbances  were  caused  by 
the  disembodied  spirit  of  Deacon  Moore  ?" 

"  No,  I  do  not  ;  I  am  not  superstitious  enough  for  that.  The  deacon  was  a 
very  singular  man,  I  am  told,  especially  in  his  last  days  ;  and  when  suspicion  fell 
upon  his  character  after  his  decease,  he  was  just  such  a  person  as  superstitious 
minds  would  at  that  period  expect  to  return  in  ghost  form  to  haunt  the  place. 
And  as  his  mending  of  buildings  and  fences  nights  was  one  of  his  most  annoy- 
ing characteristics,  it  is  not  strange  that  natural  sounds  occurring  late  at  night 
should  be  attributed  to  his  hammer.  The  event  caused  great  excitement  in  its 
da)',  and  nervous  people  for  a  long  period  avoided  the  place  in  the  night. 

"  But,"  he  continued,  "although  I  do  not  believe  any  such  silly  stories  as  the 
old  people  used  to  tell,  I  do  believe  in  my  own  impressions  ;  and  I  have  had  a 
fixed  impression  for  years  that  there  is  something  wrong  about  the  place,  and 
when  I  am  in  my  most  sensitive  moods  the  mystery  seems  somehow  to  be  as- 
sociated with  this  very  room.  You  may  think  me  over-sensitive  and  credulous; 
but  I  suffered  from  vague  nervous  impressions  when  I  used  to  occupy  the  place. 
I  have  had  an  indistinct  dread  of  it  since  I  left  it,  and  I  would  not  sleep  in  it 
again  to-night  if  you  were  not  with  me.  I  would  not  like  to  sleep  in  a  room 
where  I  knew  some  great  crime  had  been  committed  ;  not  that  I  would  expect 
to  be  troubled  by  the  victims,  but  because  1  am  sensitive  to  the  associations  of 
a  place.  I  would  rest  better  in  a  room  where  a  good  man  was  married  than  in 
one  in  which  a  bad  man  died.  With  many  it  would  make  no  difference;  but  I 
cannot  help  this  [jccuh'ar  element  imiilantcd  in  my  nalure." 

The  old  Cambridge  clock  struci<  the  hour  of  twelve.  We  ceased  talking. 
Tiic  wind  arose,  tossing  the  newly  leaved  branches  of  the  trees,  and  causing 
dark  shadows  to  move  with  an  unccilain  nv^lion  across  llu:  floor.  With  an  un- 
quiet feeling  I  watched  (he  shacknvs  for  a  lime,  and  ihcn  began  to  feel  the 
sweet  influences  of  sleep. 

The  next  night  Washington  Allst<jn  was  buried  in  llic  old  Cambridge  church- 
yard,     lirown,  the  landscape  painter,  must  remember  the  scene  ;  he  was  a  ])upil 


HALIFAX  AND   LOUISBURG. 


213 


of  Allston,  and,  if  I  remember  rightly,  was  among  tiie  torch-bearers  when  the 
remains  were  uncovered,  and  the  moon  breaking  through  the  clouds  shone  full 
upon  the  face  of  the  dead. 

After  the  funeral  I  returned  to  the  house,  and  inquired  for  Kenyon.  I  fount! 
a  note  from  him,  saying  that  he  had  been  detained  in  Boston,  and  would  prob- 
ably be  compelled  to  remain  there  during  the  night.  I  am  not  superstitious  ;  but 
the  vision  of  my  sleeping-room  and  Kenyon's  dread  impression  of  it  immediately 
rose  before  me,  and  I  am  free  to  confess  that  I  did  not  enjoy  the  prospect  of 
passing  the  night  alone. 

I  was  lonesome  without  Kenyon,  was  tired,  and  I  went  to  my  room  soon 
after  returning,  thinking  I  would  lounge  in  a  very  inviting  easy-chair,  and  read 
until  I  became  too  drowsy  to  be  at  all  influenced  by  the  solitariness  of  the  place 
or  my  constitutional  nervous  fears.  I  say  constitutional  nervous  fears  ;  for  I,  like 
Kenyon,  was  susceptible  to  more  influences  than  I  could  see,  hear,  or  define  ; 
and  I  too  had  observed  that  impressions  received  when  I  was  highly  sensitive 
almost  always  found  some  counterpart  in  reality,  or  met  with  some  rather  re- 
markable fulfilment. 

It  was  a  partly  cloudy  night,  with  an  atmosphere  full  of  fragrance,  and  a  glo- 
rious moon.  The  few  now  living  who  attended  Washington  Allston's  funeral 
must  distinctly  remember  it,  —  the  parting  clouds,  the  shadows  anon  shutting 
out  the  soft  moonlight,  the  lights  on  the  college  grounds,  the  still,  warm  air. 

I  leaned  out  of  my  window,  as  the  first  relief  from  my  solitary  situation. 
Christ  Church  broke  the  view  of  the  churchyard,  where  the  poet-artist  had 
just  been  laid. 

A  strange  subject  forced  itself  upon  my  mind,  —  a  subject  upon  which,  so 
far  as  I  know,  no  books,  essays,  or  poems  have  ever  been  written,  —  the  fate 
of  the  loyal  refugees  of  Boston  and  Cambridge  during  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Some  of  them  went  to  Barbadoes,  a  few  returned  to  England  ;  but  many  went 
to   Halifax. 

Halifax  at  that  time  was  a  military  town,  though  it  had  not  yet  become  an 
English  fortress.  Many  of  the  movements  of  the  English  forces  against  the 
colonies  were  directed  from  Halifax.  The  old  provincial  parliament  of  Halifax, 
a  body  hostile  to  the  American  cause,  met  in  1770,  and  continued  in  session 
fourteen  years.     Halifax  then  promised  to  become  a  great  military  city. 

The  Boston  and  Cambridge  royalists,  when  they  incurred  popular  dis- 
pleasure and  found  themselves  in  danger,  fled  to  Halifax  over  the  easy  water- 
way. The  phrase,  "  You  go  to  Halifax  !  "  as  an  expression  of  contempt  and 
a  suggestion  of  profanity,  became  common  among  rude  people. 


214 


ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


Did  these  royalists  ever  return  ?  But  few  of  them.  The  democratic  feeling 
was  so  strong  during  the  period  that  immediately  followed  the  war,  that  all  who 
had  opposed  the  American  cause  were  treated  socially  as  traitors  and  enemies, 
and  both  their  property  and  their  lives  were  in  danger.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  most  of  the  loyalists  who  had  remained  in  Boston  during  the  conflict  went 


TIIK   OLD    CHURCH    IN    CAMl'.KIUGK. 


to  Halifax.  The  old  city  was  largely  founded  by  English  colonial  loyalists 
and   refugees. 

The  grand  liarbor  of  Halifax  made  her  a  naval  port,  and  a  resort  of  the  old 
defenders  of  the  Red  Cross  on  land  and  sea.  But  Halifax  has  derived  her 
fame  and  wealth  from  the  peaceful  fishing-fields  that  lie  spread  out  around  and 
before  her,  rather  than  from  those  of  martial  achievement.  The  heroes  of  her 
ships  have  been  men  of  peace. 

But  to  return  to  my  curious  narrative. 

I   was  wandering  in  dreams  through   the  dim   vistas  of   the  past,  catching. 


HALIFAX  AND   LOUISBURG. 


215 


as  it  were,  glimpses  of  forms  long  faded  and  gone,  never  to  see  the  July  sun- 
shine or  the  green  earth  again,  when  a  sudden  sense  of  some  mysterious  in- 
Huence  began  to  steal  over  me.  I  can  only  describe  it  as  a  feeling  that  there 
was  something  that  ought  not  to  be  in  or  about  the  room.  I  saw  nothing, 
heard  nothing;  yet  there  seemed  to  be  near  me  the  presence  of  something  im- 
palpable, a  dark  presence,  an  atmospheric  chill  and  gloom.  "  I  am  growing 
nervous,"   I   thought ;  and   I  flung  myself  upon   the  bed. 

Did  I  dream  ?  I  cannot  say.  I  seemed  to  be  dreaming,  and  yet  conscious 
of  my  dreams,  —  to  have  a  double  consciousness,  a  double  sense  of  things.  The 
dark  impalpable  presence  seemed  to  descend,  and  then  began  a  dream  or  semi- 
consciousness of  supposed  circumstances  that  were  extraordinary.  It  seemed 
as  if  a  mason  was  building  a  vault  under  the  floor.  I  fancied  I  could  hear  the 
rattle  of  bricks,  the  splash  of  mortar,  and  the  click  of  a  trowel. 

I  started  up  ;  the  dream  passed  away.  It  was  a  bright  night,  and  the  wind 
breathed  refreshingly  through  the  trees.  I  was  vexed  at  my  own  nervousness, 
and  presently  was  half  asleep  again. 

But  in  that  debatable  condition  between  sleeping  and  waking  the  same 
sounds  seemed  to  be  repeated,  —  the  fall  of  bricks,  the  splash  of  mortar,  the 
click  of  the  trowel.  I  tried  to  think  of  Kenyon  and  old  school-days.  The 
click  of  the  trowel  became  fainter  ;  I  heard  the  clock  striking  twelve,  and  fell 
asleep. 

Towards  morning  I  was  roused  by  a  passing  wagon  in  the  street.  It  could 
have  been  but  a  moment  between  sleeping  and  waking,  but  in  that  moment 
the  same  vivid  dream  was  repeated.  I  fancied  I  could  hear  the  sound  of  ma- 
sonry under  the  floor. 

Fully  awake,  I  heard  nothing,  and  my  sleep  had  been  sweet  and  undis- 
turbed. Towards  morning  I  found  myself  drowsy  again,  when  the  click  of 
the  trowel  again  startled  me.  I  started  up,  threw  myself  into  the  arm-chair, 
and  sat  there  undisturbed  until  the  morning  began  to  redden  in  the  east. 

Kenyon  returned  before  noon,  when  I  went  with  him  to  Boston,  and  took 
leave  of  him  there. 

I  never  forgot  the  impressions  of  that  night,  though  I  did  not  tell  Kenyon 
of  them.  I  seldom  recall  dreams,  and  I  cannot  relate  any  dream  I  ever  had 
in  my  life,  except  that  one  so  vividly  repeated.  As  I  have  thought  of  that,  I 
have  had  a  horror  of  nervous  disease,  for  it  fixed  in  my  mind  the  conviction 
that  no  suffering  could  be  more  dreadful  than  nervous  apprehension  and  fear. 

Many  years  passed  before  I  saw  Cambridge  again.  I  have  not  the  exact 
date  now,  but  it  was  the   year  when   the   building  of   the    Shepard    Memorial 


2i6  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

Church  began.  The  old  Charles  River  bridge  had  given  place  to  a  more  sub- 
stantial structure,  as  I  noticed  when  I  passed.  Kenyon  was  in  Nevada,  and 
the  old  Moore  house  was  uninhabited,  and  was  soon  to  be  taken  down.  The 
land  on  which  it  stood  was  to  be  used  by  the  Society  of  the  Shepard  Memo- 
rial Church  for  their  new  building. 

I  was  at  my  hotel  one  evening,  when  a  newsboy  entered  the  hall,  and  said,  — 

'' yo7irnal !  Traveller!  Herald!  Startling  discovery!  Two  bodies  found 
in  a  vault  of  the  old  Moore  house!" 

I  started  to  my  feet.  I  bought  a  copy  of  each  of  the  papers,  the  Herald 
giving  the  most  detailed  and  curious  account.  The  paper  described  the  situa- 
tion of  the  room  ;  and  I  felt  a  nervous  perspiration  steal  over  me,  as  I  identi- 
fied it  as  the  very  apartment  that  Kenyon  had  occupied,  and  about  which  he 
had  given  me  such  an  unfavorable  impression,  and  in  which  we  had  passed 
the  night  together,  and  I  had  dreamed  the  one  vivid  dream  that  stamped  it- 
self  indelibly  on  my  memory. 

1  immediately  went  to  the  place.  The  house  was  partly  taken  down  ;  and 
a  great  crowd  of  ])eople  were  around  it,  and  within  the  admissible  part  of  its 
ruins. 

1  went  to  my  old  chamber,  forcing  my  way  with  an  air  of  special  concern 
through  the  crowd.  The  floor  was  taken  up ;  under  it  was  an  open  brick 
vault.  It  was  empty.  Men  and  boys  were  talking  about  the  "bodies."  I 
received  the  most  unsatisfactory  answers  to  my  questions  about  the  discovery, 
and  turned  to  tlie  i)()liccman  who  had  taken  charge  of  the  place. 

"Where  are  the   lioclies  .-' "  I  asked. 

"The  old   skeletons.'     They  have  been    lemoved." 

"What  is   V')ur  opinion   about   them.-'     Violence.-'" 

"Well,  the  bones  are  so  old  \'ou  can't  Icll.  They  may  be,  for  aught  any 
one  knows,  a  lumdrcd  yenrs  old.  This  is  a  very  old  house,  and  they  used  to 
tell  some  curious  stories  about  it  a  wry  long  time  ago.  People  got  the  idea 
it  was  haunted  ;  people  used  to  bclicxe  in  such  things  more  than  they  do 
now." 

"Did  any  two  j^ersons  ever  disappear  mysteriously  from  Cambridge 
society  }  " 

"Not  tlKil    I   ever   heard   of." 

"  Puit  how  could  such  a  vault  as  this  have;  been  built  without  exciting 
susjjicicm  .'' " 

"  I  don't  know." 

lie   presently   add'-d,   "  Analf)mies,   peihaps." 


HALIFAX  A  AD   LOUISBURG.  217 

"  But  why  were  the  skeletons  hidden  in  such  a  room  as  this  under  the 
floor?     Why  were  they  placed  in  a  vault  at  all?" 

"  I  don't  know.  It  all  looks  kind  of  mysterious."  And  with  an  easy  air, 
that  showed  that  mysterious  things  were  not  unfamiliar  to  him,  he  walked 
slowly  away. 

The  vault  was  nearly  under  the  place  where  my  bed  had  been  on  the 
nights  I  had  occupied  the  room,  and  where  probably  Kenyon's  bed  had  stood 
when   the  room   was  his  study. 

Old  people  associated  the  discovery  with  Deacon  Moore.  The  stories  about 
his  strange  habits,  and  his  supposed  peculations  from  Dr.  Holmes's  church  treas- 
ury, and  about  the  mysterious  noises  on  the  premises  after  his  decease,  were 
again  revived,  and  old  New  England  superstition  for  a  few  days  seemed  to 
start  into  new  life  in  the  town.  A  case  of  circumstantial  evidence,  throwing 
suspicion  upon  the  eccentric  deacon,  was  at  once  made  up  ;  but  it  seemed  to 
have  but  little  basis  in  fact,  and  the  same  suspicion  would  doubtless  have  fallen 
upon  any  other  singular  person  who  might  have  long  ago  occupied  the  house. 

The  leading  incidents  of  this  story  are  mainly  true,  and  will  readily  be 
recognized ;  and  I  would  not,  for  the  sake  of  heightening  the  effect  of  a  plot, 
do  injustice  to  the  memory  of  one  who  may  have  been  a  wholly  innocent  man. 
I  can  but  remember,  in  associating  tales  and  rumors  with  facts,  that  old  New 
England  superstition  threw  a  shade  of  suspicion  over  many  an  innocent  name. 

It  is  a  Cambridge  mystery,  and  it  gathers  around  it  the  gloom  and  romance 
of  nearly  one  hundred  years.  Who  are  these  people?  Were  they  brought  to 
their  hidden  tomb  by  the  hand  of  violence?  If  so,  why  were  they  placed  in  a 
vault  in  a  private  house,  where  time  would  surely  disclose  the  secret  of  their 
burial  and  raise  the  darkest  suspicions  ?  Were  they  anatomical  specimens  ? 
Then  why  were  they  hidden   at  all  ? 

The  old  Moore  House  is  gone  ;  the  historic  church  of  Dr.  Holmes  is  gone  ; 
spire  and  one  of  the  finest  of  the  churches  of  Cambridge  now  raises  its  finger- 
like spire  over  the  spot  where  the  mansion  of  the  mysterious  deacon  once  stood. 
I  sometimes  pass  the  place  in  my  evening  walks  ;  and  the  old  tradition  and 
more  recent  mysterious  discovery  return  to  my  mind  vividly  ;  but  it  is  all  an 
association  of  the  past,  —  of  times  dark  and  ended,  faded  and  gone. 

I  have  but  one  theory  that  promises  a  solution. 

Halifax,  as  I  have  said,  was  settled  largely  by  royalists  from  America  during 
the  War  of  Independence. 

Among  the  latter  were  people  who  are  known  to  have  lived  a  short  time  in 
the  new  city,  but  who  often  expressed  a  strong  desire  to  return  to  their  friends 


2i8  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

in  Boston.  These  people  during  their  stay  at  Halifax  helped  the  British  cause 
in  many  ways,  and  incurred  the  bitter  enmity  of  many  of  their  old-time  friends 
in  Massachusetts.  Some  of  them  disappeared  mysteriously  from  Halifax,  and 
were  never  again  heard  of  there.  They  had  relatives  or  friends  who  lived  at 
Cambridge.     Were  the  bodies  those  of  these  refugees.? 

It  ends  in  mystery.  A  mysterious  story  it  will  always  remain.  I  was  led 
to  associate  the  story  with  the  refugees  only  on  account  of  my  impressions  that 
night,  and  that  from  the  circumstance  that  a  part  of  my  impressions  was  after- 
wards proven  true.  The  narrative  at  least  will  give  you  a  glance  at  old  Halifax 
and  the  possibilities  of  old  colonial  times. 


CHAPTER    X. 


TALES     OF    THE     ST.     LAWRENCE. 


yq^5g(4B^y«^>^l 

^ 

m 

HE  audience  at  the  concert  at  Halifa.x  .somewhat 
shadowed  the  golden  dreams  of  the  Class.  After 
the  success  at  St.  John,  the  boys  had  expected  to 
find  all  the  cities  of  Canada  awaiting  them  with 
open  purses. 
"Shall  we  give  a  concert  in  Quebec?"  asked 
Charlie   Noble  of  Master  Lewis,  on  the  steamer. 

"  Quebec  is  French,"  said  Master  Lewis.  "  Montreal,  Ottawa,  and 
Toronto  would  be  more  likely  to  be  pleased  with  American  songs 
than  Quebec.  In  all  matters  of  this  kind  adaptation  is  the  secret  of 
success,  —  /(rrf,  as  you  yourself  liave  said.  Suppose  you  learn  a  few 
songs  of  emigration.  They  are  American;  in  the  places  I  have 
named  they  would  be  likely  to  touch  the  popular  feelings.  Such 
songs  as  Mackay's  "Cheer,  boys,  cheer!"  "Far,  far  upon  the  sea," 
"  Land,  land  !  "  "  To  the  West !  to  the  West !  "  "  The  Pioneers,  " 
the  "  Canadian  Sleigh  Song, "  would  be  pleasing  in  the  Prov- 
inces, I  should  think.  We  shall  remain  a  fortnight  at  Quebec. 
You  will  have  time  to  practise  these  songs  there." 

"  We  77ms/  succeed,"  said  Charlie.  "  Like  Fanny  Forrester,  we 
must  make  the  most  of  our  opportunity,  and  'stand  as  tall  as 
possible.' " 

"  What  good  would  that  do,  even  if  you  could  touch  the  stars,  if 
there  were  no  one  to  see  you.?  "said  Robertson. 


2  20  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  There  will  be  an  audience  to  hear  us  next  time,"  said  Noble. 
"  You   will   see." 

He  was  right   again. 

GASPE. 

The  scenery  on  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  between  Chaleur  Bay 
and  the  river  St.  Lawrence  is  bold  and  wonderful.  Here  is  a  coast 
that  tourists  and  writers  have  little  visited ;  it  will  be  one  of  the 
romantic  summer  resorts  of  the  future,  when  some  vivid  author  or 
painter  shall  unfold  its  beauties  to  the  world.  A  Starr  King  would 
see  it  with  the  eyes  of  a  discoverer.  Grand  Manan  has  begun  to 
draw  tourists  to  its  castle-like  coast;  Mt.  Desert  has  become  a  sum- 
mer city.  Gaspe  and  Gaspe  Bay  await  the  time  of  recognition  of 
lovers  of  sublimity  and  beauty;  to  the  few  travellers  who  visit  them 
now,  their  very  obscurity  has  a  charm. 

''  Boy,"  said  an  old  steward  to  Charlie  Leland,  "  I  see  you  are  a 
lover  of  scenery.  You  may  be  now  on  the  look-out  for  a  sight  that 
will  surprise  you.  You  will  wonder  why  you  never  heard  of  it 
before." 

The  boys  were  all  eager  listeners  to  the  steward's  direction  ;  they 
were  leaving  Cape  Despair,  and  expected  soon  to  see  Bonaven- 
ture  Island.  A  rock  began  to  attract  their  notice.  It  rose  from  the 
.sea  like  a  dark  j)illar.  y\s  they  drew  nearer  to  it  they  were  aston- 
ished at  its  immensity.  Soon  a  more  remarkable  feature  met  their 
view,  —  a  rock  that  formed  a  lofty  arch.  It  was  like  a  ruin  of  a 
colossal    (  hurrh,   whose    tower    in    j^roportion    might   have  reached   to 

llie  sky. 

'•Perce  Rock."  said  the  steward, —  "  five  hundred  feet  long  and 
nearly  three  hundred   high." 

"  No  obelisk  or  mined  citadel  could  be  more  awe-inspiring  than 
that,"  said   Master   Lewi.s. 


TALES  OF  THE   ST   LAWRENCE. 


221 


Behind  the  rock  rose  a  dark  mountain   with   a   broad   top  Hkc  a 
plateau.     The    mountain,    the     rock,    and    the    waters    of    the    Gulf 


A    NATIVE. 


formed  a  tableau  so  majestic  and  grand  that  the  Class  looked  upon 
it  with  amazement ;  and  the  wonder  grew  as  the  ship  was  passing 
between  the  cliff  and  the  island. 

"What  a  spectacle  it  must  be  by  moonlight !"  said  Master  Lewis 


2  2  2 


ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA, 


to    the    steward.     "  There    are   few   combinations   of   scenery    in    the 
world  that  can  equal  this.     Nothing  is  more  noble  on  the  Rhine." 

"  See  the  clouds  of  birds  above  the  rock ! "  said  Charlie  Leland. 
"  There  are  thousands  of  them.  They  seem  to  be  having  a  battle 
in   the   air." 


PERCE   KOCK. 


The  red  sunset  was  llamiug  beyond  Mt.  St.  y\nnc.  Rnnaventure 
Island,  some  three  miles  long,  —  avast  pile  of  reddish  cliffs  from  three 
U)  five  huiulrcd  feet  high,  breaking  a  tide  fifty  fathoms  deep,  —  was 
sinking  int(j  shadow.  Hinnigh  the  mighty  arch  appeared  the  lumi- 
nous levels  of  the  sea.  The  air  was  still;  the  gulf,  calm;  the  sky, 
clear.  The  cloud  of  birds  settled  down  upon  the  rock,  and  the 
ship  steamed  on   in    silence  as  through   a  solitude. 

The  waves  (jf  unnumbered  centuries  have  beaten  lk)naventure 
Island.  Its  high  walls  are  fretted  by  the  storms  of  countless  winters 
and   the  assaults   of    bn  akers,   the    tide  impelled  waves   at    times   rush- 


TALES   OF   THE   ST.    LAWRENCE. 


2  2,3 


ing  upon  them  like  an  army  of  horsemen.  The  sea  will  conquer  in 
the  end,  and  the  rock  will  disappear,  after  the  battle  of  ages ! 

A  dark  cloud  arose  in  the  crimsoned  air  from  the  hi^h  rock. 
Then  uprose  a  gray  cloud.  The  air  was  filled  with  a  din  of  dis- 
cordant cries. 

"  The  gulls  and  crows  are  at  it  again,"  said  the  old  steward. 
"They  never  keep  peace  for  an  hour  at  a  time.     If  a  gull  trespasses 


COMMON    GULL. 


on  the  colony  of  the  crows,  why,  the  parent  birds  of  both  kinds  just 
fly  up   in   the  air  and   fight  it   out.     Curious,  ain't   it  .^  " 

"  Do  they  live  there } "  asked  Charlie. 

"Yes.  Tlie  top  of  that  rock  is  a  great  meadow;  it  is  covered 
with  grass.  The  whole  of  the  upper  part  is  full  of  nests,  —  cormo- 
rants and  gulls.  A  few  years  ago,"  he  added,  "  the  boys  found  a  way 
to  climb  up  to  the  top  by  ladders  of  rope ;  and  since  that  time  egg- 
hunters  have  gone  up  every  spring.  The  gulls'  eggs  are  useful ;  but  I 
always  thought  there  was  something  mean  about  robbinor  these  birds'- 


224 


ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


nests.  The  gulls  confide  in  the  sailors  so.  You  have  seen  them 
follow  ships,,  almost  come  on  board;  gentle-like,  —  tame.  Well,  you 
wouldn't  believe  it;  when  the  fishermen  and  boys  go  up  to  get  their 
eggs,  the  birds  are   that  confiding  that  they  do  not  rise  from  their 


CAItTlIiK    ASCKNI^INO   THE   ST.    LAWRENCE. 


nests,  and  they  utter  a  cry  of  disappointment  when  their  eggs  are 
taken  from  under  them.  I  would  hate  to  rob  one  of  their  nests, 
("/tills  bring  good  luck." 

"What  a  glorious  siirht  I "  exclaims  Arthur  Ixiies,  in  writino-  of 
Gaspe  Hay.  "  Imagine  a  bay,  twenty  miles  long,  ending  in  a  basin 
where-  a   fleet  of  a   thousand   vessels  might  be   sheltered!" 

Gaspe  may  be  the  oldest  town  in  America.  It  is  believed  that 
Norse   vikings   had    a   fishing   station    here  long   before   America   wms 


TALES   OF   FHE   ST.    LAW  RE  ACE.  225 

discovered  by  Columbus.  The  Spanish  mariner  Velasco  is  supposed 
to  have  visited  the  bay  in  1506.  Cartier  came  here  in  1534,  and 
here  formally  took  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  his 
church  and  king,  erecting  a  cross  thirty  feet  high,  adorned  with  the 
Fleur-de-lis. 


THE   "PHANTOM"    OF    LSLE    PERCfi. 

As  the  boys  were  leaving  the  ruins  of  that  once  grand  castle  of 
nature,  the  rock  island  called  Perce,  the  red  light  was  fading  in  the 
west,  and  the  shadowy  glooms  of  the  Canadian  woods,  so  peculiar  and 
suggestive  at  nightfall,  began  to  appear  among  the  hills.  Suddenly  a 
bright,  shimmering  light  filled  the  air  above  the  great  stone  arch,  now 
in  the  distance. 

"  The  phantom,"  said  the  stewardess,  coming  out  of  the  cabin. 

"  The  wings  of  the  sea  gulls  rising  into  the  light  of  the  sky,"  said 
the  steward.  '"The  phantom!'  Woman,  whom  do  you  take  us 
for.?  Do  you  think  these  American  gentlemen  have  ears  for  old 
fishermen's  stories.''" 

"  They  have  eyes,"  replied  the  woman,  sharply.  "  Look,  yonder. 
JVe  2i\\  know  what  that  means.  Never  you  mind  what  /iesa.ys;  it  is 
the  phantom  of  the  rock.     See  there  now;  it  is  vanishing." 

"  The  birds  have  settled  down  from  the  high  air  on  to  their  nests 
again,"  said  the  steward. 

"  That's  what  yoii  say  it  is,"  replied  the  woman,  with  cold  light  in 
her  eye.  "  The  old  belief  in  the  saints  is  going,  and  those  who  wish 
to  think  that  they  have  no  friends  in  the  spirit  world  are  welcome  to 
their  loneliness  for  all  me." 

"  But,  madam,  what  do  yo2i  say  it  is  ?  "  asked  Master  Lewis. 

"  I  don't  say.  But  -dje  all  think  it  is  the  good  spectre  of  the 
rock." 

^5 


2  26  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

She  continued:  "Years  ago,  —  more  than  a  luindred, — there 
lived  in   France  an  officer  who  loved  a  beautiful  girl." 

"  Now,  woman  !  "  said  the  steward. 

"  They  were  about  to  be  married,  when  the  officer  received  an 
unexpected  order  to  sail  for  Quebec.  He  obeyed,  but  left  his  heart 
behind  him." 

"  First  man  that  I  ever  heard  of  wlio  lived  without  a  heart,"  said 
the  steward,  lighting  his  pipe. 

"  As  soon  as  he  reached  Quebec,  he  sent  for  his  bride." 

"  To  bring  him  his  heart,  I  suppose,"  said  tlie  steward,  puffing  his 
pipe. 

''She  sailed  for  Quebec  on  receiving  the  message.  But  the  ship 
was  captured  by  a  Spanish  pirate  ;  and  all  the  crew,  except  the  young 
bride,  were  })ut  to  death.      The  girl  was  exceedingly  beautiful." 

"  No  doubt,"  said  tlie  steward.  "  Her  beauty  shone  like  the  gulls' 
wings  up   in   the   air." 

"  The  captain  of  the  pirate  vessel  wished  to  make  her  his  wife, 
and  told  her  tliat  she  must  consent  or  die. 

"'Then  1  will  die,'  said  she.  'My  jieart  is  pledged  to  an- 
other.' 

"'Think   of  my  demand   a  week,'  said   the  pirate. 

"'  I  will  die  if  need  be,  but  1  will  die  true  to  him  to  whom  I  have 
given  my  jDromisc.' 

'"  Then  you  shall  see  Quebec,  but  you  shall  never  land  there.  You 
sliall  pass  by  it,  and  not  meet  there  your  lover;  you  shall  return  by 
the   Castle  of  St.    Louis,  and   then   you   shall   jierish,' 

" 'I'he  ship  was  ajjproaehing  the  river  St.  Fawrence,  as  we  have 
been  during  the  afternoon,  in  the  twilight  a  form  was  seen  floating 
on  the  sea.      It  disajjpeared.      It  was  the  captive  bride. 

"  I1ic  sliij)  a))]:)roached  the  Rock  IYtcc  at  nightfall.  As  the  sailors 
were  wondering  at  the  formation  of  the  cliffs,  —  there  were  two  arches 
then,   one   of    them   is   now  gone,  —  what  bhuuld   appear  against  the 


Tlili:   TRADITIONAL   PHANTOM    OF    PERC6   ROCK. 


TALES  OF  THE  ST.   LAWRENCE. 


29 


black  stone-wall  but  the  form  of  the  bride,  like  an  angel  all  clothed  in 
white !  " 

"  Woman  !  "  said  the  steward. 

"And  what  became  of  the  ship?"    asked  Charlie  Leland. 

"  She  beojan  to  turn  into  stone  from  that  moment.  She  o-rew 
heavier  and  heavier,  and  sank  lower  and  lower  in  the  sea.  Her 
sides   became    a    rock,   and    her  masts   iron-like,  and    her  sails  slate  • 


LACHINE   KAFIDS,    ST.   LAWRENCE. 


and  she  began  to  drift  towards  the  rocks,  and  became  a  part 
of  them. 

"  The  captain  and  the  sailors  all  turned  into  stone.  The  stone 
ship  was  to  be  seen,  perfect  and  entire,  for  more  than  fifty 
years." 

'^  Woman  ! " 

"  It 's  a  fact.  There  are  the  ruins  of  her  to  be  seen  to-day,  off 
Cape  Rozier.  We  shall  pass  her  in  the  night,  or  I  would  show 
her  to  you.  Husband  don't  believe  in  nothin'.  Good-night.  Hope 
you  '11  all  have  pleasant  dreams." 


230  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

• 

The  morning  found  the  Class  in  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  moving 
slowly  towards  Tadousac. 

Sunrise  on  the  St.  Lawrence  is  a  splendor  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. It  seems  like  a  light  flashing  on  a  world  of  waters,  for 
the  very  pines  drip  with  fog  and  dew.  There  is  a  crystal  bright- 
ness everywhere.  The  sun  grows  into  full-orbed  glory  through  a 
veil  of  mist.      It  seems  like  a  morn  of  the  early  world. 

The  ships  and  canoes  in  the  thin  fog  on  the  smooth  tides,  the 
grayish  gulls  that  follow  the  steamer,  the  silence  everywhere,  the 
loss  of  all  apparent  motion  of  the  steamer,  give  one  an  experience 
that  is  at  once  novel  and  unreal.  One  recalls  here  such  legends 
as  "  Undine,"  and  the  pictures  of  Turner  and   Dore. 


Till':    SAGUENAY. 

The  Class  landed  at  Tadousac,  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  miles 
from  Quebec.  Tadousac  is  a  small  village  on  a  terrace.  Below  it 
is  a  fine  harl^or ;  around  it  arc  mountains.  It  has  a  noble  hotel 
on  a  bluff. 

"  It  seems  like  an  eagle's  nest,"  said  Nol:)le,  in  reference  to  the 
hotel.     So  seems  the  town. 

The  view  from  the  escarped  height  is  noble  ;  the  dark  mountains, 
the  sombre  .Saguenay,  the  immense  St.   Lawrence. 

Tadousac   was  founded   in    1599. 

The  class  here  took  the  Quebec  steamer  for  C^hicoutimi,  the 
farthest  port  on   the   Saguenay. 

The  .Saguenay  is  unlike  any  otlier  river  in  the  world.  It  is  a 
mountain  chasm,  —  a  river  of  colossal  shadows,  silent,  ancient,  and 
lonely.      The  gray  cliffs  of  gneiss  seem  like  the  monuments  of  giants. 

The  Saguenay  reminds  one  of  the  fabulous  rivers  of  Chaos; 
when    the    tcnirist   comes   back    from    it,   lie    seems    to    have    returned 


TALES   OF   THE   ST.   LA  IV  YE  ACE. 


2  M 


from  the  primeval  world.  It  has  been  likened  to  the  fiords  of 
Norway,  but  its  grandeur  is  distinct     There  is  but  one  Saguenay. 

Chicoutimi  is  about  one  hundred  miles  from  Tadousac. 

You  enter  the  river,  and  no  living  thing  is  seen.  The  waters 
are  deep  and  black.  You  recall  the  fable  of  the  Styx.  The  river 
is  frozen  half  the  year.     It  is  a  dead  river,  a   Lethe. 


THE   MAL   BATE   RTVER    AND   LAKE. 


About  half-way  between  Tadousac  and  Chicoutimi  is  Eternity 
Bay,  walled  by  majestic  cliffs.  The  water  here  is  one  hundred  and 
fifty  fathoms  deep.  Cape  Trinity  and  Cape  Eternity  are  masses 
of  rock,  which  seem  to  rise  from  the  black  waters  to  the  clear  blue 
sky.  Ha  Ha  Bay  is  another  chasm.  But  few  trees  break  the  mo- 
notony of  the  crumbling  hills,  for  a  distance  of  some  seventy  miles 
between   it  and  the  wooded  shores  of  the   St.   Lawrence. 

The  Class,  on  returning,  took  the  direct  steamer  for  Quebec. 
The  water-way  is  full  of  the  associations  of  song  and  story.  We 
give  here  a  legend  of  one  of  the  islands. 


2  o  2  ZIGZA  G  JO  URNE  YS  IN  A  CA  DIA . 


THE    PRISONER    OF   CRANE'S    ISLAND. 

"You  have.kd  a  gay  life,  De  Granville.  Such  a  life  unfits  a  man  for  devo- 
tion to  his  wife  and  family.  1  have  lived  in  Paris,  and  have  seen  the  tendency 
of  the  love  of  society.     You  certainly  would  not  give  up  society  for  me." 

The  words  were  spoken  by  a  high-born  lady,  famous  for  her  beauty  and 
accomplishments.  She  might  have  been  a  social  queen.  But  her  principles 
were  Calvinistic,  whatever  may  have  been  her  church.  She  moved  in  social 
circles  as  one  might  pass  through  a  boulevard  on  a  fete  day  on  a  mission  of 
duty.  She  had  a  high  sense  of  duty  that  was  as  foreign  to  the  feverish  atmos- 
phere of  the  French  capital  as  the  white  edelweiss  of  the  Alps  to  the  flaming 
summer  of  the  tropics. 

"  I  will  give  up  everything  for  you,"  replied  the  handsome  young  officer. 

"  But  what  proof  have  I  that  your  fidelity  to  me  will  be  greater  than  it  has 
been  to  others  for  whom  you  have  had  a  like  regard  and  affection  ?  " 

"  Proof. -*  1  will  tell  you.  There  lies  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  in  the  newly 
settled  regions  of  the  west,  a  group  of  islands.  They  are  lofty  and  lonely,  — 
the  home  of  the  sea-birds,  —  blazing  with  the  reflected  light  of  the  sea  in  sum- 
mer time,  and  eternally  beautiful  with  evergreens,  even  amid  the  winter  snows. 
They  lie  near  Quebec,  the  capital  of  the  France  of  the  New  World.  I  will  go 
to  the  largest  of  these  islands,  and  will  there  build  a  chateau.  1  will  take  you 
there,  and  we  will  there  live  alone,  aj^art  from  the  world  ;  and  I  will  only  go 
when  you  bid  me  go,  and  come  when  you  bid  me  come.  Could  a  Christian 
knight  offer  more  than   this?" 

About  the  year  i  750  this  young  officer  and  his  l)ri(lc  arrived  at  the  pictur- 
esque little  archii)elago  in  the  St.  Lawrence,  some  thirty  or  more  miles  from 
Ouebec,  now  known  as  Crane's  Island.  On  the  principal  island,  higher  and 
more  j)icturesque  than  the  others,  a  chateau  arose,  and  was  fuinishcd  in  the 
fine  style  of  a  French  provincial  residence  of  a  century  ago.  De  Cranville  had 
obtained  from  P' ranee  the  Seigneury  of  these  romantic  islands;  and  here,  amid 
the  sublime  scenery  of  moiuUains,  islands,  and  the  river,  lie  liwd  ior  a  time  in 
perfect  happiness  with  his  devf)ted  and   be:iutiful  wife. 

Mariame  dc;  Granville  was  a  woman  of  intense  feelings,  and  such  a  nature 
is  usually  disturbed  by  jealousies.  .She  was  perfect  in  her  devotion  to  her 
high-born  husband's  iiappiness  ;  but  she  exacted  a  like  devotion  in  return,  and 
for  a  time  received    it. 


TALES  OF   THE   ST.    LAWRENCE. 


■JD 


These  were  happy  years  at  the  chateau.  The  two  loved  nature,  and  here 
was  spread  out  before  their  eyes  one  of  the  most  enchanting  scenes  in  the 
New  World.  It  was  constantly  changing  ;  it  varied  with  the  year.  Now  the 
river  was  as  pulseless  as  a  mirror  ;  now  it  was  white  with  the  foam  of  waves 
lashed  by  the  storm  ;  now  it  was  golden  in  the  sunrise  ;  now  the  setting  sun 
shone  upon  it  and  turned  it  into  a  red  sea.  The  mountains,  too,  changed  with 
the  sky.  The  calm  of  summer,  the  splendors  of  autumn,  the  eternal  white- 
ness of  winter, —  all  were  like  sublime  pictures  and  poems,  and  lent  to  the  life 
in  the  chateau  a  perpetual   charm. 


VIEW    IN    TUK    THOUSAXI)    ISI.AXUS. 


The  sea  birds  made  their  home  on  the  islands,  and  were  tame.  In  summer 
ships  passed  by,  bearing  the  loved  flag  of  the  Fleur-de-lis. 

Quebec  had  lost  the  influence  of  Champlain  and  his  missionary  associates. 
It  was  now  a  gay  city,  —  a  new  Paris.  The  old  times  of  restraint  were  gone. 
The  settlements  upon  the  beautiful  river  followed  the  customs  of  the  queen  city. 
There  was  a  gay  tone  in  the  society  of  most  of  the  provincial  villages  ;  and  in 
the  customary  merry-makings  the  Indians  united  with  the  French. 

De  Granville  began  to  mingle  in  the  pleasantries  of  the  mixed  people  on 
the  river.  He  was  pleased  with  the  semi-barbarian  chiefs,  and  the  simplicity 
and  beauty  of  the  Indian  maidens.  He  attended  the  Indians'  feasts  and 
danced  with   the  daughters  of  the  warriors. 


2  -.  6  ZIGZA  G  JO  URNE  YS  IX  A  CA  DIA . 


J 


In  short,  he  came  to  love  his  evenings  with  the  French  fiddlers  and  the 
dusky  people  of  the  forest  more  than  the  severe  society  at  the  chateau. 

He  began  to  absent  himself  from  his  home  so  much  that  his  beautiful 
young  wife  felt  the  neglect,  and  wondered  what  business  could  so  often  call 
him   away 

"  I  am  going  hunting  to-day,"  he  would  say  in  winter;  and  "  I  am  going  fish- 
ing to-day,"  in  summer.     His  boat  usually  returned  to  the  chateau  late  at  night. 

"What  can  keep  the  Seigneur  so  much  away  .^ "  said  Madame  de  Granville 
one  day  to  an  old   servant. 

The  woman  was  silent. 

"  Have  you  any  theory  ? " 

"  I  have  a  suspicion." 

"  A  suspicion  f  '' 

"The  Indian  maidens  have  bright  eyes,  and  the  habitans  fiddle  well." 

De  Granville  was  absent.  It  was  a  summer  afternoon.  Madame  de  Gran- 
ville turned  coldly  away  from  her  servant,  and  in  an  hour  afterward  was  seen 
crossing  the  river  in  a  boat. 

The  summer  evenings  on  the  St.  Lawrence  are  rosy  and  long.  In  old 
times,  after  the  toils  of  the  day,  the  French  had  their  pastimes,  in  which  the 
Indians  joined.     There  was  a  dance  that  night  in  the  French  and  Indian  village. 

Just  as  De  Granville  was  leading  out  a  gayly  attired  Indian  maiden,  to  the 
music  of  the  fiddle,  a  dark,  tall  form  appeared  upon  the  clearing.  The  merry- 
making ceased.  The  shadow  approached  Do  (iranville,  whispered  a  single 
word  to  him,  and  led  him  away.  The  Indians  fled,  supposing  that  they  had  seen 
a  spectre.     The  boat  returned  to  the  chateau  in  silence. 

"Is  this  your  fidelity  .'*"  said  the  jiroud  lady  as  they  landed.  "It  seems 
that  the  society  of  Indians  has  become  to  you  more  than  that  of  your  wife. 
Are  you  ready  to  make  a  vow  } '' 

"  I  will,  if  I  can  fulfil  it.      Name  it." 

"That  }'ou  will  newr  lea\X'  the  island  again." 

"  I  will  make  the  vow." 

Years  passed  ;  the  chateau  was  silent.  What  passed  therein  no  one  may 
know.  lUit  De  Granville  never  crossed  the  Si.  Lawrence  again;  and  when 
death  had  released  him  from  his  exile  and  imprisonment,  Madame  de  Gran- 
ville returned   to   her  family  in  P'ranee,  and  the  chateau  crumbled   into  dust. 

If  tlie  sunrise  on  the  St.  Lawrencx'  lloods  the  v/orkl  from  whicli  the 
'  urlains  of  ni^lit  are  withdiawii  with  a  peculiar  l)i-illiaiicy  and  splendor, 


TALES   OF   THE   ST.   LAWRENCE. 


237 


the  sunset  is  even  more  glorious.  The  river  is  usually  calm,  and  the 
air  clear.  The  west  crimsons,  the  mid-heavens  turn  to  gold,  and  a 
tremulous  glory  hangs  over  the  mountains,  woods,  and  waters.  Dark 
shadows  appear  on  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  hills.  The  villages  are 
like  pictures.  The  sails  on  the  ships  hang  loose  in  the  breathless  air. 
There  is  silence  everywhere.  The  world  seems  to  have  settled  into  an 
eternal  calm,  as  though  Christ's  feet  had  passed  over  the  waters,  and 
his  lips  had  spoken  again  the  Galilean  word,  "  Peace." 


CHAPTER   XI. 


QUEBEC. 


UEL  bee!"  —  "What  a  beak!"  —  exclaimed  the  old 
French  voyagers,  as,  moving  down  the  majestic  St. 
Lawrence,  tliey  saw  the  rock  that  is  now  called  Point 
Diamond.  The  cry  of  wonder  has  lived  in  the  name 
of  the  city  that  occupies  the  most  picturesque  situa- 
tion in  America. 

'•  There  is  not  in  the  world  a  nobler  outlook  than  from  the  Terrace 
at  Quebec,"  said  Sir  Charles  Dilke. 

"Too  much  has  not  been  said  about  the  scenery  of  Quebec,"  wrote 
cynical  Thoreau. 

Had  the  wonder-working  powers  of  the  earth,  air,  and  sea  once 
met  to  fashion  a  place  of  harmonious  and  perfect  beauty,  the  result 
mifdit  have  been  Quebec.  It  certainlv  has  no  equal  in  beauty  in  the 
New  World;  and  Coblentz  on  the  Rhine,  which  it  resembles,  is  far  less 
tirand  and  beautiful. 

The  i)eculiar  charm  of  Quebec  lies  in  no  particular  point,  but  in  a 
combination  of  the  whole,  —  in  the  islands,  mountains,  rivers,  cliffs, 
])lains,  waterfalls;  in  the  (piaintness  of  its  buildings,  in  the  associa- 
tions of  romance  and  history,  and  in  the  courteous  simplicity  of  the 
])eoj)le. 

Stand  ujjon  the  Terrace  on  a  summer  afternoon.  Below  you  arc 
the  sag-roofed  houses  of  the  old  1' ren(  h  town.  Was  the  like  ever 
'cen  i!i  America?      Ouaint  dornin-w  iiulows,  wooden  bridges  from  roof 


QUEBEC. 

to  roof,  chimneys  and  coigns  crowding  against  the  rocks,  nar 
and  queer  churches. 

Beyond     is    the     resplendent     St 
Lawrence,  with  its    ships    and  ste 
ers  idling  in  tlie  sun.     How  calm 
restful !     Yet    the    great    inland 
of    Superior,    Michigan,     Huron, 
Erie  are   pouring  themselves  thro 


241 
row  rues 


'■>.     Queer 
'    craft  are  here,  as 
well  as  black  ocean 
'"''         '      '  steamers;  lumber- 

ships,  coasters  from  old  Gaspe  and 
the  dark  caverns  of  the  Saguenay. 
Across  the  river  are  the  populous 
heights  of  Point  Levi,  the  vine-covered  island  of  Orleans,  the  plains 
of  the  east  with  their  Norman  houses  and  churches.  Mountains 
wall  the  sky,  wearing  the  clouds  like  mantles.  Behind  you  is  the 
garden  of  the  monument  of  Wolfe,  and  above  you  is  the  lofty  and 
majestic  castle,  standing    between    earth  and    heaven,  —  a  very  mon- 

16 


242  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

arch  of  tlie  air,  earth,  and  sea.     It  is  the  keeper  of  the  St.  Lawrence, — 
a  grim  giant,  whose  word  is  destiny. 

What  scenes  have  been  enacted  on  the  rocks  and  fields  around 
you !  Here  was  the  Chateau  of  St.  Louis,  erected  in  the  year  of 
the  "  Mayflower,"  the  palace  of  the  French  governors  in  provincial 
days.  Here  dwelt  plumed  chiefs;  and  hence  their  plumes  departed 
into  the  setting  sun.  Grand  was  the  Court  of  the  old  French  depu- 
ties and  knights.  Their  empire  extended  from  the  frozen  North  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  was  almost  as  great  as  all  Europe,  and  com- 
bined all  climates  and  resources.  Here  were  enacted  the  heroic 
dramas  of  Montgomery,  Arnold,  Wolfe,  and  Montcalm.  Here  Cham- 
plain  died  on  Christmas  day ;  here  stood  for  years  the  church  that 
he  had  founded  ;  here  assembled  the  grandees  to  feast,  and  the  mis- 
sionaries to  lay  their  plans  for  the  conversion  of  the  vast  Indian 
world. 

In  the  great  churches  and  the  establishments  of  learning  and  char- 
ity, choirs  are  heard  singing.  Bells  ring;  birds  light  upon  the  great 
guns  pointing  towards  the  sea,  and  flowers  grow  under  the  same  in- 
struments of  death;  while  all  is  sunlight,  calm,  and  peace.  There  is 
not  another  Quebec  in  all  the  world.  Its  earliest  known  history  is  a 
romance.  Jacques  Cartier  came  here  from  St.  Malo  in  1535.  He 
belield  the  beak-like  rock  darkening  the  air. 

"What  river  is  this?"  he  asked  of  the  Indians. 

"  A  river  that  has  no  end." 

Here  reigned  King  Donnacona.  When  Cartier  returned  from 
"the  greatest  river  that  is  known  ever  to  have  been  seen,"  he  took 
Donnacona  away  with  him.  The  barbarian  king  was  baptized  with 
great  j)om])  in  the  great  Cathedral  of  Ivouen,  and   he  died   in  France. 

The  romantic  i:)erir)d  of  Champlain  followed;  of  Henry  IV.;  of 
Richelieu  aiul  his  Iliiii(lrcd  Associates.  Then  came  the  times  of 
Louis  XI\'.,  the  "Grand  Monarc  h."  TVontenac  here  held  a  vice-regal 
Court.      At    limes    tin-   IHeur-dc-lis   was  lowered   and    the    Red    Cross 


STREET   IX   QUEBEC. 


QUEBEC. 


245 


of  Eneland  floated  over  the  castle ;  but  under  either  flasc  Quebec 
has  always  been  a  French  city.  She  is  Normandy  to-day.  One 
need  not  go  abroad,  but  only  come  here,  to  live  in  Europe  and  in  the 
Middle  Ages. 

The  French  King  once  sent  over  to  the  province  a  thousand 
young  women,  most  of  them  Nor- 
mans, to  become  the  wives  of  the  settlers 
of  New  France.  The  descendants  of 
these  girls  may  be  seen  to-day  in  the 
Market-place  without  the  gates,  as  Nor- 
man as  their  orreat-2:randmothers ;  as  neat, 
as  pious,  and  as  beautiful.  There  is  no 
scene  more  simple  and  charming  in  Amer- 
ica than  the  long  rows  of  French  market- 
girls  on  their  carts  of  vegetables,  fruits, 
and  flowers,  with  their  patient  little  horses. 
It  is  like  a  scene  in  a  play.  jacques  cartikr. 

Quebec  is  a  city  of  churches,  primitive  piety,  and  simple  virtues. 
Said  an  old  P'^rench  missionary  of  the  celestial  atmosphere  of  the 
old-time  place,  "  To  dwell  in  New  France  is  to  live  in  the  bosom 
of  God."  In  the  mornins^  hours  one  mav  find  the  old  churches 
filled  with  worshippers,  —  men,  women,  boys,  girls,  on  their  way  to 
and  from  the  markets.  F'aith  here  remains  ;  the  heaven  is  full  of 
angels ;  every  one  is  on  a  journey  to  the  regions  of  brighter  hopes 
and  a  larger  and  more  perfected  life. 

The  old  Castle  of  St.  Louis  that  Champlain  founded  is  gone. 
The  beautiful  Terrace  is  its  memorial.  What  scenes  took  place 
in  its  grand  old  Hall !  What  councils  for  the  government  of  an 
empire  that  once  comprehended  the  whole  American  continent  north 
of  the  Great   Lakes  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico! 

The  Class  took  lodgings  in  the  old  Albion  Hotel.  The  boys 
soon  after  their  arrival  visited  the   Terrace. 


It  was  evening. 


The 


246 


ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


flags  were  floating  from  the  airy  pavilions;  hundreds,  perhaps  thou- 
sands, of  Hght-hearted  people  were  on  the  long  promenade,  and  below 
lay  the  St.  Lawrence  by  moonlight,  with  an  atmosphere  of  loneliness 
and  mystery  on  the  opposite  shore. 

In    the   morning  they  went   outside   of  St   John's    Gate   with    the 
landlord,    and    passed    through    the    great    Market    in    the    open    air. 

They    returned    and   visited   the   old 
sion  of  the  Chien  d'Or,  or  the  Golden 


^^^.     Doq;,  over    the    entrance   of   the    old 
il    city     post-office.       In     the    afternoon 
I    Master  Lewis  related  to  them,  on  the 
j    Terrace,   the  dark  tragedy  associated 
I    with    the  sign,  and  ad\'ised    them  to 
read     Kirby's    romance,    "  Le     Chien 
d'Or,"  saying  that  it  was,  in   his  opin- 
ion, one  of  the  finest  historical  works 
in   American    fiction. 

Charlie  Lcland  first  read  the  book, 
spending  on  it  two  days  on   the  Ter- 
race.     He  seemed  like  one  in  a  dream. 
The  other  boys  made  excursions  on 
these  days  to  the    Isle  of  Orleans  and   the  P^alls  of  Montmorency,  but 
he  did   not   wish    to    accompany  them.      WHien    he    had   finished  the 
book  late  on   a  summer  evening,   he  said, — 

"  I  am  going  to-moi'i-ow  to  sec  the  Chateau  Bigot." 
"  It   is   a   ruin,"'  said     iMa.^tfr   Lewis.       "  The    book    has    interested 
you    in    it  }  " 

Yes. 

"  I  knew  it  wonld.  I  had  another  reason  in  commending  the 
book  to  you.  It  not  only  iclates  a  story  as  romantic  as  I\iir  Rosa- 
mond, bnt  it  clearly  shows  how  tlu-  American  empire  was  lost 
to   I'Vance." 


CATHEDRAL 


MARKET-PLACE,    QUEBEC. 


QUEBEC. 


249 


He  added:  "As  long  as  Quebec  maintained  the  virtues  of  Cham- 
plain,  the  power  of  France  in  America  was  as  firm  as  the  rock  on  which 
it  was  enthroned.  When  the  deputies  of  France  began  to  practise 
the  vices  of  the  corrupt  Court  of  Louis  XV.,  the  French  power 
weakened.       Intendant    Bigot,   a   weak,    voluptuous,    avaricious    man, 


THK    HKOWliNAUE    AT    QUEBEC. 


prepared  the  way  for  the  fall  of  the  empire.  I  will  go  with  you 
to-morrow  to  his  once  famous  chateau." 

The  chateau  is  a  massive  ruin,  some  five  miles  from  Quebec, 
at  the  foot  of  Charlesbourg  Mountain.  It  is  sometimes  called  the 
Hermitage,  and  frequently,  by  the  French,  the  Mansion  of  the 
Mountain. 

In  the  times  of  Bigot  the  palace,  or  chateau,  was  the  seat  of  the 
Royal   Government    of    France.      It    was  almost   the   size   of  a  small 


250  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IX  ACADIA. 

town.  The  buildings  formed  a  square.  They  were  surrounded  by 
beautiful  gardens.  The  St.  Charles  flowed  by  them.  Beyond  the 
parks  and  pavilions  were  the  grounds  of  the  Jesuits. 

Francis  Bigot,  the  last  Intendant  of  the  throne  of  France  in  Can- 
ada, was  a  native  of  Guienne.  He  received  his  appointment  at  the 
time  of  the  universal  corruption  of  French  society  and  politics, — 
the  days  of  Madame  de   Pompadour. 

Who  was  Madame  de  Pompadour  ? 

It  sometimes  happens  that  a  young  woman  gifted  with  beauty, 
wit,  talent,  or  musical  ability  is  tempted  to  become  untrue  to  her 
home,  her  family,  and  to  herself  for  the  sake  of  fame.  But  fame  won 
at  the  expense  of  character  never  brings  happiness,  and  by  the  in- 
evitable laws  of  life  ends  always  in  regret. 

Never  did  a  woman  gain  so  much  power,  wealth,  and  worldly 
splendor  in  return  for  an  untrue  life,  as  Madame  de  Pompadour. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Jeanne  Antoinette  Poisson.  She  was  a  girl 
of  remarkable  wit  and  beauty.  She  had  dramatic  power  of  a  high 
order,  was  a  brilliant  musician  and  a  lover  of  the  fine  arts.  Many 
suitors  sought  her  favor,  and  at  an  early  age  she  married  a  wealthy 
man, —  Le  Normay  I'Etioles.  He  loved  her  devotedly,  and  lived 
almost  wholly  for  her  happiness. 

Her  mother  was  an  ambitious  \Voman.  Dissatisfied  and  schem- 
ing, she  is  said  to  lia\e  taunted  her  daughter  with  having  married 
a  banker  when   licr  l^cauty  and  her  wit  were  worthy  of  a  noble. 

Mckle,  unprincipled,  and  eager  for  position,  Jeanne  soon  tired  of 
her  beautiful  home  and  devoted  husband,  and  resoK-ed,  if  possible, 
to  attract  the  attetition  of  the  king,  Louis  XV.,  who  had  inherited 
the   wealth   and  glory  of  his   father,  the  "Grand    Monarch." 

.She  placed  herself  before  his  carriage  in  the  i)ark,  dressed  in  the 
most  attractive  manner,  that  slie  might  be  seen  by  tlie  king.  Daz- 
zled by  her  beaut)',  he  sought  liei"  out,  insited  her  to  his  palace,  and 
soon    she    became    the    mistress    of    Versailles.      In    vain    her   husband 


MADAMIC    in-:    I'OAIPADOL'R    AND   THE    KING. 


QUEBEC.  253 

pleaded  with  her;  she  heartlessly  abandoned  him  to  become  the 
favorite  of  a  king. 

Her  ambition  was  gratified.  Her  influence  with  her  royal  lover 
became  supreme.  She  made  and  dismissed  ministers  of  state,  cre- 
ated cardinals,  declared  war,  and  arranged  terms  of  peace.  The  Coun- 
cil of  State  used  to  meet  in  her  boudoir.  She  once  declared  that 
her  very  lap-dog  was  wearied  with  the  fondlings  of  nobles.  She 
virtually  compelled  Maria  Theresa  to  address  her  as  ma  cousine,  and 
a  jest  at  her  expense  is  said  to  have  been  the  origin  of  the  Seven 
Years'  War.  There  were  concerts,  private  theatricals,  games,  masques, 
constantly  going  on  under  her  direction  in  the  palace.  She  squan- 
dered enormous  sums  from  the  State  Treasury  in  furnishing  entertain- 
ments for   the  king. 

The  age  of  forty  found  lier  prematurely  old,  and  with  a  corroding 
sense  of  unworthiness  in  her  heart.  She  had  had  her  will,  and  with 
what   result?      Listen    to  her   own   words: — : 

"What  a  situation  is  that  of  the  great!  They  only  live  in  the 
future,  and  are  only  happy  in  hope.  There  is  no  peace  in  ambi- 
tion. I  am  always  gloomy;  the  kindness  of  the  king,  the  regards 
of  courtiers,  the  attachment  of  domestics,  affect  me  no  longer.  I 
have  no  more  an  incHnation  for  all  that  once  pleased  me.  My 
residence  at  Bellevue  is  charming,  and  I  alone  cannot  endure  it.  I 
do  not  live  ;  I  am  dead  before  my  time.  The  public  hatred  grieves 
me  exceedingly.     My  life  is  a  continued  death  ! " 

She  breathed  her  last  amid  the  splendors  of  Versailles,  at  the 
age  of  forty-two. 

The  day  of  her  burial  was  tempestuous.  The  king  stood  at  the 
window  of  the  palace  as  the  funeral  corCege  moved  away.  He  had 
long  since  tired  of  the  woman  who  had  violated  conscience  and 
Gods  laws  for  his  favor,  and  now  he  looked  with  silent  indiffer- 
ence on  her  burial  car  fading  away  in  the  storm.  No  love  of  hus- 
band or  of  child  followed  it;  few  tears  were  shed. 


2  54  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  The  Marchioness  has  a  rather  wet  day  to  set  out  on  her  long 
journey,"  the   king  jestingly  said. 

Long  journey!  The  pomps  of  the  palaces  had  faded;  the  illu- 
sion was  done.  She  had  sown  to  sin,  had  reaped  its  rewards,  and 
in  the  pitiless  rain  they  put  away  the  form  of  Madame  de  Pompa- 
dour forever  in  a  dishonored   grave. 

Little  remains  of  the  Intendant's  palace,  —  a  few  gables,  a  few 
partition  walls  of  immense  thickness,  and  a  few  mounds.  Birds 
build  their  nests  there  ;  red-alder  trees  grow  over  the  crumbling  ma- 
sonry ;  the  star-flower  and  Canadian  \iolet  sprinkle  the  sod ;  and 
mosses  and  tall  grass  cover  the  place  of  the  fallen  tower. 

Bigot  erected  the  palace  as  his  country-seat.  He  here  stored  the 
public  funds,  and  peculated  from  them.  He  here  attempted  to  live 
the  dissolute  life  that  prevailed  in  the  Court  and  among  the  nobles 
of  France  before  the   Revolution. 

There  were  noble  forests  near  the  chateau.  Bigot  was  fond  of 
hunting,  and  he  organized  brilliant  hunting-parties   here. 

One  day,  while  hunting,  he  lost  his  way  in  a  thick  forest.  Night 
came  on.  In  his  distress  he  chanced  to  meet  an  Indian  girl.  Her 
name  was  Caroline.  She  had  French  blood  in  her  veins,  and  was 
very  beautiful.      He  told  her  who  he   was,  and  said,  — 

"  Caroline,  show  me   the  way   to    the  castle." 

.She  led  him  a  long  distance,  and  then  pointed  out  to  him  the 
tower  of   the   ]:)alace    in    the    moonlight. 

"  Come   with  me  to  the  castle,  and   I   will  reward  you." 

Carcjline  followed  him.  lie  ga\'e  her  a  place  in  the  house- 
hold. 

Bigot  was  a  married  man.  His  wife  was  a  high-born  lady,  pas- 
sionate and  jealous.  She  resided  in  Ouebec,  and  did  not  often  visit 
the  chateau. 

Biirot  became  enamored  of  the  Indian  maiden.  He  becran  to 
spend   more   time   in   lier  society    than    in    that   of   his  wife.      Madame 


(2b' E  EEC.  255 

Bigot  noticed  her  husband's  indifference  towards  her,  but  for  a  time 
she  did  not  dream  of   the  cause. 

An  old  servant,  who  had  learned  something:  of  the  state  of  af- 
fairs  at  the  chateau,  one  day  ventured  to  hint  to  Madam^  Bigot  that 
her  husband  had  other  motives  than  State  interests  in  remaining  so 
much  away  from  Quebec. 

"What?" 

"Affection." 

"  For  whom  ?  " 

"  A  beautiful  Algonquin." 

"  Where  ? " 

"  At  the  chateau." 

That  evening  a  masked  woman  on  horseback  left  Quebec.  At 
midnight  she  quietly  glided  into  the  chateau.  In  the  morning 
Caroline  was  found  murdered  in  her  room.  By  whom }  No  one 
knew  Only  this;  a  disguised  woman  had  been  seen  entering  the 
chateau,  and  she  had  as  mysteriously  disappeared  as  she  had  come. 

Caroline  was  buried  in  a  cellar  of  the  chateau,  and  a  stone  was 
placed  over  her,  bearing  the  single  letter  "  C." 

Bigot  robbed  the  province.  He  was  at  last  arrested  in  France 
and  sent  into  e.xile.  His  dissipated  vice-regal  Court  at  Quebec  cor- 
rupted the  society  of  the  period ;  and  his  bad  government  caused 
the  Lilies  of  France  to  be  lowered  from  the  great  fortress  of  the 
West  after  they  had  waved  above  the  St.  Lawrence  for  a  hundred 
and   fifty   years. 

A    ROMANCE   THAT    LOST   AN    EMPIRE. 

In  1759  tl"*^  famous  expedition  of  General  Wolfe  and  Admiral  Saunders 
arrived  in  front  of  Quebec,  which  was  under  the  command  of  the  brave 
Montcalm.  It  was  June.  The  troops  were  landed,  and  the  city  and  fortress 
ot  Ouebec  were  invested. 


256 


ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA, 


The  summer  passed ;  but  the  Gibraltar  of  the  North,  now  impregnable, 
was  like  a  knight  clad  in  mail.  The  Lilies  of  France,  in  the  red  summer  morn- 
ings and  evenings,  waved  peacefully  over  the  Fortress  of  St.  Louis,  as  though 
the  fifty  vessels  of  war,  the  fifteen  thousand  sailors,  and  nine  thousand  soldiers 
were  a  thousand  miles  away. 

September  came.  The  English  commanders  had  the  conviction  that  the 
capture  of  the  fortress  was  impossible,  and  the  sailors  and  soldiers  were  losing 
all  confidence  in  the  success* of  the  expedition. 


j:./ii>^A7 


MON  TCAI^M. 


One  September  night,  beautiful  as  all  nights  of  the  September  moons  arc 
on  the  St.  L.-iwrcuce,  General  Wolfe  and  Admiral  Saunders  held  a  consultation 
on  bf)ar(l   of  the  fl;ig-shij). 

"  Some  new  plan  must  be  adopted,  or  the  siege  abandoned,"  was  in 
substance  the  conclusion  of  each. 


QUEBEC. 


257 


A  petty  ofificcr  entered,  and  handed  a  communication  to  General  Wolfe. 
It  was  marked  Private  and  hnportant. 

The  General  opened  it,  and  said  to  the  Admiral,  — 

"  Here  is  a  curious  communication  from  a  Captain  Robert  Stobo,  of  Hali- 
fax. He  was  once,  he  claims,  detained  at  Quebec  as  a  hostage,  having  been 
made  a  prisoner  of  war  by  the  French.  He  has  information  that  he  deems 
important,  which  he  wishes  to  communi- 
cate." 

"  Where  is  he  now  ?  " 

"  On  board  the  vessel." 

"  Let  us  listen  to  him." 

A  person  of  fine  appearance  was  ad- 
mitted. 

He  was  courteously  received. 

"  Well,  Captain,  what  have  you  to  say  .''  " 
asked  General  Wolfe. 

"  For  a  number  of  months  I  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Quebec,  a  prisoner  on  parole.  My 
life  was  a  lonely  one  for  a  time,  but  I  at 
last  became  acquainted  with  a  beautiful 
French  lady,  of  high  social  position,  and 
we  became  deeply  attached  to  each  other. 
We  used  to  meet  and  walk  upon  the 
Heights  of  Abraham,  and  she  made  known 

to  me  a  secret  path  that  leads  from  the  Plains  of  Abraham  to  the  river. 
It  is  the  only  path  that  can  be  followed  up  and  down  the  Heights.  An  army 
could  ascend  the  Heights  by  it  at  night,  marching  in  single  file.  I  have 
come  from  Halifax  to  put  you  in  possession  of  my  chart  of  the  Heights  and 
of  this  secret  path." 

General  Wolfe  took  the  chart,  and  with  the  Admiral  examined  the 
Lovers'   Path. 

The  captain  was  dismissed  with  expressions  of  gratitude.  All  that  night 
the  two  officers  studied  the  defile  that  the  beautiful  French  habitant  had 
disclosed  to  her  lover. 

"  Admiral,"  said  General  Wolfe,  at  last,  "  I  am  disposed  to  try  it." 

It  was  the  night  of  September  12,  described  as  glorious  by  the  old 
chroniclers.  General  Wolfe  passed  from  vessel  to  vessel,  and  addressed  his 
men. 

The  Lovers'  Path,  like  a  picture,  was  impressed  on  his  mind  as  in  a  dream 

17 


THE   PLAINS    OF   ABRAHAM. 


258  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  '  The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave,'  " 

he  said ;  and  added,  "  I  would  rather  be  the  author  of  that  one  poem,  Gray's 
Elegy,  than  gain  the  glory  of  defeating  the  French  to-morrow." 

The  oars  beat  the  swiftly  flowing  tide.  The  Heights  darkened  the  air 
above.     Wolfe  gazed  upward.     He  repeated  :  — 

"  'The  boast  of  lieraldry,  the  pomp  of  power, 

And  all  that  beauty,  all  that  wealth,  e'er  gave, 
Await  alike  the  inevitable  hour. 

The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave.'  " 

At  one  o'clock  on  the  niorning  of  the  13th,  Wolfe  led  his  silent  army, 
marching  in  single  file,  up  the  Lovers'  Path. 

The  result  is  told  in  history,  in  pictures,  and  in  monumental  works  of  art. 

But  the  i^ath  of  glory  brought  to  Wolfe  his  "  inevitable  hour."  Leading 
the  charge,  he  was  three  times  wounded. 

"Support  me,"  he  said.     "  Let  them  not  see  me  drop." 

They  brought  him  water. 

"They  flee,"  said  the  officer  on  whose  breast  he  was  leaning. 

"Who.-*"  asked  the  dying  man. 

"  The  enemy." 

"  God  be  praised,  —  I  die  happy." 

The  elaborate  and  heroic  monument  to  Wolfe  in  Westminster  Abbey,  and 
the  tall  shaft  to  his  memory  in  the  garden  of  the  Terrace  of  Quebec,  can 
hardly  fail  to  recall  Gray's  pensive  reflections  in  connection  with  the  splen- 
did achievement  that  gave  to  England  an  empire  as  large  as  l^urope,  and 
that  made  him  immortal. 

Stobo  was  lewarded  by  New  l-^ngland  with  one  thousand  dollars  and  by 
honors  from   the  Crown.     ]?ut  the   T'lench woman's  name  was  never  known. 


"M ARC] IE    DONC  !" 

'I'hc  CancuH.'iM  iarci/ic,  like  a  London  hansom,  is  a  somewhat  pecu- 
liar vehicle.  It  is  usually  a  rather  .shabby  and  rickety  two-wheeled 
carriat;e ;  and  these  adjectives  would  not  apply  to  the  hansom,  which 
is  usually  substantial  anrl  elegant.  'Die  driver  does  not  sit  at  the 
back,  jjut  (;u  a  iiarr(jw  seat  \\\  front  of  the  passengers. 


DEATH    OF    UOLKK. 


QUEBEC. 


261 


Charlie  Leland  and  Charlie  Noble,  seeing  the  queer  vehicle  in  the 
streets,  asked  Master  Lewis  to  engage  one  for  them  to  take  them  to 
the  Falls.  Master  Lewis  intrusted  the  matter  to  the  landlord,  who 
advised  them  to  take  some  other  carriasfe. 

"  Wh)'  do  you  want  a  caleche  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  It  looks  so  picturesque,"  said  Noble. 

"  Antiquated,  he  means,"  said  Leland. 

"  Proxincial,"  corrected  Leland. 

As  beautiful  as  Quebec  itself  is,  are  its  surrounding:  villages.     As 


CALECHE. 


one  who  has  not  seen  her  suburbs  has  not  seen  Boston,  so  one  who  has 
not  seen  the  country  around  Quebec  has  seen  but  half  the  capital. 

The  driver  seemed  a  very  silent  man.  Down  Palace  Street  moved 
the  \'ehicle,  and  past  the  church  of  St.  Roch.  The  road  was  broad 
and  firm.  The  little  horse  trotted  along  easily,  and  Beauport  was 
soon  gained,  and  the  church,  with  its  lofty  spires,  left  behind.     Quaint 


262  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

stone  houses,  whitewashed,  and  surrounded  with  beds  of  flowers,  lined 
the  road.     Nearly  all  the  people  are  of  French  origin. 

A  noble  estate  was  reached,  beautiful  in  its  situation,  and  havine 
an   air  of  dignity  and   antiquity. 

"  To  whom  do  these  grounds  belong .?  "  asked  Charlie  Leland  of 
the  driver." 

The  man  bowed  and  smiled,  and  said,  "  Marche  done !" 

*'  Marshal  Done,"  said  Charlie  to  Charlie. 

They  came  to  Huldimand  House.  Stopping  here,  they  chanced 
to  hear  a  gentleman  say  that  this  house  was  once  occupied  by  the 
father  of  the  queen. 

"  Who  was  the  father  of  the  queen .?  "  asked  Charlie  of  Charlie. 

"  I  do  not  know.  I  think  it  was  Georo^e  III.  Let  us  ask  the 
driver." 

'•  Who  was  the  father  of  Queen  Victoria  .?  "  asked  Noble. 

The  driver  bowed  and  smiled,  and  said,  "  Marche  done ! " 

"Marshal  Done,"  said  Charlie  to  Charlie.  "1  never  understood 
the  succession.  I  knew  that  there  was  a  l^'eak  somewhere.  Marshal 
Done  was  probably  one  of  the  sons  of  George  III.  He  had  a  great 
family;  and  the  Prince  of  Wales  died,  you  know." 

The  Falls  were  lovely  this  dreamy  summer  afternoon.  They  looked 
like  a  crystal  ri\^er  suspended  in  the  air.  The  boys  had  enjoyed  their 
ride  so  much  that   they  wished   to  continue  it. 

"  .Somewhc:re  else,"  said  Inland  to  the  driver. 

He  did  not  (-ecm  to  comprehend. 

"  It  is  all  beautiful,  —  anywhere,"  said  Charlie  Noble. 

The  driver  .seemed  puzzled. 

"  Iiglise,"  said  Leland. 

The  driver  bowed  and  said,  "  Marche  done!" 

"The  church  of  Marshal  Done,"  said  Charlie  to  Charlie. 

The  road  lay  over  sunn)'  hills.  It  was  lined  with  small  houses, 
large   barns,  and   bright  gardens.      Here  and  there  were  shrines. 


QUEBEC. 


26 


At  a  distance  of  some  fifteen  or  more  miles  from  Quebec,  the 
driver  stopped  before  an  ancient  classic  church.  It  was  built  of  gray 
stone. 

The    boys     entered 
the  church.     It  was  full 


.,^GC 


ST.    AXNKS    CHURCH. 


sacristy  were  great  piles  of  crutches.  There  were  many  invalids  in 
the  church,  praying. 

"  What  church  is  this  ^ "  asked  Charlie  Leland  of  an  English 
gentleman,  whom  he  met  before  a  picture  of  a  storm  at  sea. 

"St.  Anne." 


264  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  I  thought  it  was  the  church  of  Marslial  Done.  May  I  ask  what 
is  the  meaning  of  all  these  crutches  ?  " 

"  They  liave  been  left  by  the  people  who  have  been  cured." 

"  How  extraordinary !  "  said  Charlie.     "  Who  is  St.  Anne  }  " 

"  She  was  the  mother  of  the  Virgin." 

"  But  how  does  she  heal  cripples }  " 

"A  part  of  her  body  is  here,  —  some  of  her  bones.  The  relics  are 
shown  at  Mass.  This  is  a  miracle-church.  Nearly  a  hundred  thousand 
people  visit  it  every  year." 

The  little  horse  began  to  scamper  when  his  head  was  turned 
again  towards  Quebec.  The"  driver  seemed  to  the  boys  to  be  medi- 
tating on  departed  greatness,  he  so  frequently  said,  "  Marche  done!" 

As  Quebec  appeared  in  view,  like  a  city  climbing  up  the  heights 
to  the  castle,  the  view  was  wonderful.  The  windows  l^lazed  in  the 
setting  sun,  and  the  metal  roofs  shone  like  silver. 

"  Who  was  Marshal  Done } "  asked  Charlie  Leland  of  the  land- 
lord, as  he  came  into  the  hotel  near  midnight.  "  The  driver  kept 
speaking  about  him  on  the  way,  —  the  father  of  the  queen,  I  think 
he  said." 

"  Oh,  —  Go  along  !  " 

"  The  landlord  is  not  very  polite  to-night,"  said  Charlie  to  Charlie. 
"  Let  us  retire." 

On  one  of  tlic  rides  from  Quebec  a  friend  of  Master  Lewis  related 
to  the  boys  an  amusing  incident  he  had  read,  and  which  was  sug- 
gested b\'  an  occurrence  on  the  way.  The  road  was  hot  and  dusty,  and 
a  PVench  emigrant  hung  liis  bundle  on  the  back  of  the  carriage.  ".A 
German  emigrant,"  said  he,  "  once  ran  up  Ijcliind  an  elegant  carriage, 
and  lumg  liis  boots,  which  lie  was  carrying  in  his  liand,  over  one  of 
the  l)rac:cs.  I^resently  the  drix'er,  not  knowing  wiiat  tlic  man  had  done, 
)jut  whip  In  the  horse.s,  anrl  left  the  bootless  traveller  behind. 

'An  elegantly  attired  lady  was  the  sole  occupant  of  the  carriage. 
Til'-   ficrman    i-an,  calling  out   Instil)'   to   the  drive)'   to   stop. 


QC/EBEC. 


265 


"  The  lady,  hearing  the  call,  looked  behind.  She  saw  a  man  run- 
ning after  the  carriage,  swinging  aloft  his  arms  and  shouting  to  the 
driver. 


"  She  was  a  very  imaginati\-e  and  nervous  lady,  and  she  ordered 
the  driver  to  run  the  horses,  and  began  to  scream  hysterically. 


"  The  carriage  flew.  The  poor  emigrant  saw  his  boots  disappear- 
ing with  a  suddenness  and  velocit}'  that  filled  him  with  rage  and 
despair. 


266 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


"  But  shortly,  greatly  to  his  amazement  and  delight,  an  accident 
happened  to  the  vehicle.     One  of  the  wheels  came  off. 

"  The  man  redoubled  his  speed.  When  the  lady  saw  him  coming, 
she  fell  down  on  the  floor  of  the  half-overturned  carriage  and  began 
to  beg  for  mercy. 

"  Her  prayer  was  answered.  The  German  came  up,  panting  for 
breath,  seized  his  boots  and  merely  said,  '  Thank  Heaven !  I  'm  in 
luck!' 


"Without  a  word  to  the  drixer  or  lady,  he  wiped  the  sweat  from 
his  face,  and  went  joyfully  on  his  way." 

The  gentleman  entertained  the  Class  with  some  pleasant  illustra- 
tions of  this  story  in  a  German  paper,  and  was  careful  that  the  F"rcnch 
traveller  did  not  meet  with  any  such  episode  with  his  bundle. 

The  Class  spent  many  evenings  on  the  Terrace.  The  boys,  fol- 
lowing the  suggestion  of  Master  Lewis,  made  a  study  of  Mackay's 
•'.Songs  of  Immigration. "  They  j)ractised  tliem  daily  in  one  of  the 
airy   p;i\ilioiis   on    tlic     Terrace.      One   of   \.\^v  scjngs, 

"  Cliccr,  hoys,  cliccr;    tlic  nicn\'  Iiict-'/.u  is  lilowing," 

always  attracted    the   attmlion   and    stoi^pcd    llie   feet   of   the   passing 
throngs. 


QUEBEC. 


269 


The  evenings  on  the  Terrace  were  delightful.  The  castle  seemed 
to  be  built  up  into  the  sunset  air.  The  St.  Lawrence  flowed  calml)^ 
by.  Great  steamers  went  out  of  the  port  and  came  into  it.  Hun- 
dreds of  emigrants  landed  at  Point  Levi,  from  all  the  dark  steamers 
that  came  in  from   Liverpool. 


QUEBEC. 


Quebec  is  the  monument  of  Champlain.  It  is  worthy  of  its 
founder,  whose  virtues  will  lend  to  it  the  lidit  of  their  influence 
forever,  whatever  may  be  its  changes,  or  whatever  flag  may  float 
above  the  fortress.     Virtues  shine  like  the  stars. 


2yQ  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


THE    STAR    IN    THE   WEST. 

QUEBEC,  1635. 

'Tis  the  Fortress  of  St.  Louis, 

The  Church  of  Recoverance  ; 
And  hang  o'er  the  crystal  Crosses 

The  silver  Lilies  of  France. 
In  tiic  fortress  a  knight  lies  dyin^:^, 

In  the  church  are  priests  at  prayer, 
And  the  bell  of  the  Angelus  sweetly 

Throbs  out  on  the  crimsoned  air. 

The  noblest  knight  is  dying 

That  ever  served  a  king; 
And  he  looks  from  the  fortress  window 

As  the  bells  of  the  Angelus  ring. 
Old  scenes  come  back  to  his  vision  ; 

Again  his  ship's  canvases  swell 
In  the  harbor  of  gray  St.  Malo, 

In  the  haven  of  fair  Rochelle. 
lie  sees  the  imparadised  ocean 

That  he  dared  when  his  years  were  young  ; 
The  lagoons  w^here  his  lateen  sail  drifted 

As  the  Southern  Cross  over  it  liung  ; 
Acadic  ;  the  Riclielieu's  waters ; 

The  lakes  through  the  midlands  that  rolled; 
And  the  Cross  that  he  planted  wherever 

lie  lifted  the  Lilies  of  gold. 
He  lists  ti)  tivj  Angelus  ringing, 

He  folds  his  white  hands  on  his  breast; 
And,  lo  !  o'er  the  pine-clouded  forests 

A  Star  verges  low  in  the  VVestl  — 

r. 

"  Star  on  the  I)OSom  of  tiie  West  — 

Chime  on,  O  bell,  ciiime  on,  O  bell !  — 
To-night  with  visions  I  am  blest, 

And  filled  with  light  ineffable  ! 
No  angels  sing  in  crystal  air. 

No  clouds  'ncath  seraphs'  footsteps  glow, 
\'o  feet  of  seers  o'er  mountains  fair 

A  jjorlent  follows  far;   but,  l<>  ! 


QUEBEC.  271 

A  Star  is  glowing  in  the  West : 

The  world  shall  follow  it  from  far. 
Chime  on,  O  Christmas  bells,  chime  on  ! 

Shine  on,  shine  on,  O  Western  Star! 

ir. 

"  In  yonder  church  that  storms  liave  iced  — 

I  founded  it  upon  this  rock  — 
I  've  daily  kissed  the  feet  of  Christ, 

In  worship  with  my  little  flock. 
But  I  am  dying,  —  1  depart  ; 

Like  Simeon  old,  my  glad  feet  go. 
A  star  is  shining  in  my  heart. 
Such  as  the  Magi  saw  ;  and,  lo  ! 
A  Star  is  shining  in  the  West : 

The  world  shall  hail  it  from  afar. 
Chime  on,  O  Christmas  i^iells,  chime  on  ! 
Shine  on,  shine  on,  O  Western  Star  ! 

III. 
"  Beside  the  Fleur-de-lis  of  France, 

The  faith  I  've  planted  in  the  North. 
Ye  messengers  of  Heaven,  advance  ; 

Ve  mysteries  of  the  Cross,  shine  forth  ! 
I  know  the  value  of  the  earth  ; 

1  've  learned  its  lessons  ;  it  is  done  : 
One  soul  alone  outweighs  in  worth 
The  fairest  kingdom  of  the  sun. 
Star  on  the  bosom  of  the  West, 
My  dim  eyes  follow  thee  afar. 
Chime  on,  chime  on,  O  Christmas  bells  ! 
Shine  on,  shine  on,  O  golden  Star  ! 

IV. 

"What  rapture  !  hear  the  sweet  choirs  sing  ! 

While  death's  cold  shadows  o'er  me  fall, 
Beneath  the  Lilies  of  my  King, 

Go,  light  the  lamps  in  yonder  hall  ! 
Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  Christ-Star  glow 

Above  the  New  World's  temple  gates. 
Go  forth,  celestial  heralds,  go  ! 

Earth's  fairest  empire  thee  awaits  ! 
Star  on  the  bosom  of  the  West, 

What  feet  shall  follow  thee  from  far  ! 
Chime  on,  O  Christmas  bells,  chime  on  ! 
Shine  on  forever,  golden  Star !  " 


272 


ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

'T  was  Cliristmas  morn  ;  the  sun  arose 

'Mid  clouds  o'er  the  St.  Lawrence  broad, 
And  fell  a  sprinkling  of  the  snows 

As  from  the  uplifted  hand  of  God. 
Dead  in  the  fortress  lay  the  knight, 

His  white  hands  crossed  upon  his  breast, — 
Dead,  he  wliose  clear  prophetic  s:ght 

Beheld  the  Christ-Star  in  the  West. 
That  morning,  'mid  the  turrets  white, 

The  low  flags  told  the  empire's  loss ; 
They  hung  the  Lihes  o'er  the  knight, 

And  by  the  Lilies  set  the  Cross. 

Long  on  Quebec's  hnmortal  heights 

Has  Champlain  slept,  the  knight  of  God. 
The  Western  Star  shines  on,  and  lights 

The  growing  empires,  fair  and  broad. 
And  though  are  gone  the  knights  of  France, 

Still  lives  the  spirit  of  the  North  ; 
The  heralds  of  the  Star  advance, 

And  Truth's  eternal  ligiit  shines  forth. 


CHAPTER   XII. 


MONTREAL. 


HAVE  heard  celestial  voices,"said  a  pious  publican 
of  Anjou  to  a  priest  of  Paris. 

"  So   have   I,  and    I    have   had   a  vision    of    the 
Virgin  and  the  Saviour,"  said  the  priest. 

"  What  did  the  angels  say  to  you  ? "  continued 
the  priest. 

'*  They  bade  me  establish  a  new  mission  —  in 
the  West  —  on  the  St.  Lawrence;  it  may  be  in  that  beautiful 
island  that   Cartier  discovered  nearly  a  hundred  years  ago." 

"  How  wonderful ! "  said   the    priest.     "  The  voices    I    heard    and 
the  visions   I  have    seen    have   given    me    the    same    direction.     We 
must  unite  for  this  work.     Let  us  proclaim  our  calling,  and  see  what 
the  Church  will  do  to  aid  us.  " 
The  two  soon  met  again. 

"  The  Saviour  has  appeared  to  me,"  said  the  priest. 
*'  The    Virgin    has   shown    herself    to   me    in    a   vision,"  said    the 
publican. 

"Tis  the  isle  of  Mont  Roval." 
"Yes,  the  isle  of  Mont  Royal." 

The  two  told  their  visions  to  priests  and  nobles.  The  nobles 
favored  the  mission,  and  gave  the  two  missionaries  the  means  to 
purchase  the  isle  of  Montreal. 

iS 


2  74  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

The  two,  after  these  real  impressions  or  supposed  visions,  were 
full  of  zeal  for  mission  work  in  the  wilderness  of  the  West.  They 
formed  the  society  of  Notre  Dame  de   Montreal. 

There  was  a  thrillins^  missionary  service  in  the  Q-rand  Cathedral 
of  Notre  Dame  in  Paris  in  February,  1641.  The  Lord  of  Maison- 
neuve  and  forty-live  noble  associates  consecrated  to  the  work  of 
God  the  great  island  of  the  Upper  St.  Lawrence  under  the  name  of 
Ville  Marie  de   Montreal. 

The  ships  sailed.  On  May  18,  1642,  Lord  Maisonneuve  and 
his  mission  colony  landed  at  the  fort  of   Montreal. 

He  immediately  erected  an  altar.  It  was  the  beautiful  month  of 
May.  The  trees  were  bursting  into  green  leaves;  flowers  were 
nestling  among  the  grass  ;  birds  were  singing  in  the  trees.  Primeval 
forests  covered  Montreal ;  the  rapids  foamed  afar,  and  the  broad 
St.  Lawrence  flowed  calmly  by  on  its  way  from  the  great  Jakes  to 
the  tjulf  and  the   ocean. 

Mass  was  said  before  the  newly  erected  Cross.  Then  the  priest 
uttered  a   prophecy  :  — 

"  You  are  a  grain  of  mustard  seed.  The  seed  will  spring  up  and 
grow ;  it  will  overshadow  the  land.  You  are  few,  but  your  work 
is  the  mission  of  God.  His  smile  rests  upon  you;  your  children 
shall    occupy    the    land." 

Nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  have  passed.  The  isle  of 
Montreal  contains  some  two  hundred  thousand  inhal^itants.  The 
city  of  Montreal  is  called  the  Queen  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  The 
Hotel  Dieu  and  tlvj  school  that  those.'  old  missionaries  founded  still 
live. 

Why,  wlien   so   many  other   missions  have   failed  and   perished.^ 

The  mission  was  founded  In  the  spirit  of  jjeace,  and  not  '\\\  that 
spirit  of  coiKjuest  that  spills  the  blood  of  men.  It  was  founded  in 
the  spirit  of  charity,  and  was  kept  unstained  from  the  crimes  of 
bigotry.      It   out-^t retched    its    hand    to   meet   the    wants  of  men. 


MONTREAL. 


277 


So  beautiful  has  been  the  history  of  Montreal  that  one  could 
wish  to  believe  that  the  visions  of  the  old  French  mystics  were 
something  more  than  the  day-dreams  of  a  benevolent  heart  and 
mind. 

We  relate  the  story  as  it  was  believed,  and  have  no  criticism  to 
make  upon  it.  Few  cities  in  the  world  have  had  a  more  interesting- 
beginning.  The  seeds  of  Montreal  were  Christian  love.  They  sprang 
up,  budded,  and  blossomed. 

Victoria  Square  is  not  the  Terrace  of  Quebec,  and  the  fine  hall 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  is  not  the  airy  pavilions 
of  the  French  city's  promenade ;  but  Mount  Royal  is  a  glorious  emi- 
nence, and  the  view  of  the  two  great  rivers,  the  mountains,  and 
the  city  from   the  summit  is  one  of   the  finest  in   America. 

The  Class  made  their  first  visit  in  the  city  to  the  Cathedral  of 
Notre  Dame,  or  the  French  Cathedral.  It  is  perhaps  the  most  inter- 
esting Catholic  church  in  America.  It  holds  ten  thousand  persons; 
in  it  marriages  and  funerals  are  constantly  taking  place,  and  occasion- 
ally both  at  the  same  time.  The  music  is  most  impressive  and  often 
dramatic,  and  the  great  bell  in  one  of  its  towers  is  the  largest  in 
America,  weighing  some  fifteen  tons. 

The  SonQ:s  of  Emio-ration  had  interested  the  Class  in  that  sub- 
ject  that  tourists  amid  these  lovely  and  enchanting  scenes  so  little 
notice,  —  the  pioneers  of  the  New  West.  The  vast  Western  Empire 
is  yet  to  be  the  centre  of  the  American  world,  and  the  tides  of  the 
Old  World's  populations  are  silently  flowing  into  it.  The  men  and 
women  of  its  future  development  and  greatness  are  not  to  be  found 
in  the  faded  chateaus  of  France  or  Quebec,  or  on  the  grand  old 
English  estates.  They  come  in  the  steerages  of  the  black  ocean 
steamers^  and  the  cabin  passengers  in  the  princely  saloons  are  hardly 
aware  of  their  presence  on  board. 

The  loiterers  on  the  Terrace  of  Quebec  see  the  steamers  land 
across  the    river.     Tugs   take  the    cabin  passengers  to  the  city,  per- 


278  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

haps  a  liundred  in  number,  and  carriages  meet  them  and  convey 
them  to  the  fine  hotels.  An  liour  or  two  passes;  then  a  thousand 
men,  women,  and  children  go  over  the  plank,  and  wait  the  making 
up  of  a  long  emigrant  train  for  the  West.  They  are  housed  in  sheds. 
The  train  makes  up ;  it  moves  away  for  Ontario,  Manitoba,  the 
Georgian   Bay. 

What  does  it  carry  with  it  ?  "  Only  emigrants  "  ?  So  the  idlers 
say.  It  carries  the  heart,  brain,  and  muscle  of  a  rising  empire. 
It  carries  people  that  are  people,  and  not  mere  pensioners  and  tax- 
gatherers.  The  kings  of  the  future  are  in  it ;  the  Queens,  the 
princes.  It  separates  rising  families  from  decaying  families,  —  the 
new  from  the  old.     It  leaves  oblivion  behind  ;    it  enters  life. 

The  disregarded  emigrant  is  the  founder  of  new  cities,  new 
churches,  new  schools.  His  industry  is  a  mine;  his  faith  is  a  crown; 
his  children  are  to  inherit  the  empire  to  come. 

The  Class  found  nothing  among  the  grand  public  buildings  and 
places  that  more  interested  them  than  a  plain  monument  of  stone, 
erected  to  the  "  memory  of  six  thousand  emigrants "  who  died  of 
ship-fever  in  the  emigrant  sheds  of  Montreal.  The  monument  was 
erected  by  the  workmen  on   the  Victoria   Bridge. 

Six  thousand  emigrants  buried  in  one  small  lot,  as  it  were  in 
one  grave!  Guide-books  do  not  mention  them;  histories  give  the 
fact  a  line  ;  tourists  pass  hastily  by  to  visit  fine  churches  and  halls. 
Six  thousand !  What  pain,  what  misery  without  human  sympathy, 
what   jjartings   in   families,   what  disappointed   hopes  ! 

Ijlessed  I)e  the  hands  of  those  workmen  whose  hearts  remem- 
bered the  jK)or,  and  wlio  placed  the  memorial  owr  tlie  six  thousand 
in   that  one-  gra\  e  ! 

Montreal  is  a  city  of  churches.  I''aeh  of  (he  leading  denomina- 
tions of  Christians  has  at  least  one   noble  ehiirc  h   edifice   here. 

It  is  an  interesting  e.\|)erience  to  an  American  citizen  to  go  to 
chin-rh    in    Canada.       Within    the    {:oin|)ass   of   a    few   miles,   in    some 


MONTREAL.  28 1 

portions  of  the  Dominion,  the  traveller  can  attend  mass  in  a  French 
Catholic  chapel  in  the  early  morning,  the  Anglican  service  at  eleven 


THF.    BANK    OF    IMOXTKEAL. 


o'clock,  the  Scotch  Kirk  in  the  afternoon,  and  the   Metliodist  Church 
in  the  evening. 

But  this  is  not  all.       He  sees  each  of   these    services  conducted 
in  its  primitive  and  uncompromising  force. 


282  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

In  the  United  States  all  that  we  derive  from  the  Old  World 
becomes  quickly  modified.  There  is  something  in  our  air  that 
subdues  and  softens  whatever  is  most  peculiar  and  character- 
istic. 

Thus  a  party  of  emigrants  land  in  New  York,  clad  in  the  durable 
but  uncouth  costume  of  their  country  and  class;  but  in  a  few  days 
the  honest  old  clothes  have  begun  to  be  discarded.  Almost  un- 
consciously both  men  and  women  have  yielded  to  the  dread  of 
being  peculiar,  which  is  among  the  strongest  feelings  of  our  na- 
ture. Soon  they  secretly  flatter  themselves  that  no  one  would 
take  them  for  foreifjners. 

Religion,  being  the  chief  conservative  influence  of  the  world,  is 
slowest  to  submit  to  the  modifying  power  of  the  new  land.  But 
the  process  goes  on  unceasingly.  We  can  easily  perceive  that  even 
the  French  Catholic  of  Canada  is  somewhat  different  from  the  French 
Catholic  of  New  York  or   Boston. 

We  have  seen  in  front  of  the  old  Cathedral  of  Montreal  a  mis- 
sionary-box inviting  the  contributions  of  the  faithful.  On  the  outside 
of  the  box  were  wax  figures  of  hogs  devouring  priests  and  monks,  and 
underneath  was  a  sentence  intimating  that  such  was  often  the  fate  of 
devoted  missionaries  to  the  heathen. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  in  no  city  of  the  United  States  would  such 
an  exhibition  be  ventured. 

The  interiors  of  many  Catholic  churches  of  Canada  differ  in 
nothing  from  those  of  village  churches  in  the  remoter  provinces  of 
France.  The  same  kind  of  xotivc  offerings  hang  at  the  shrines, 
and  there  is  the  same  honieh'  directness  in  the  remarks  of  the  cicrc, 
whicJ-!  startles  the  ears  of  Protestant  visitors  to  the  Departments 
of   Southern    iM-ance. 

The  most  interesting  experiencx-  of  this  kind  is  enjo3'ed  in  the 
.Scotch  Presbyterian  kirks  of  New  P)runs\\i(k  and  Nova  Scotia.  To 
attend   C)ne  of  these   illuniiiiatcs   foi-   us  tlu'  wliolc   history  of  Scotland 


CATHEDRAL   OF    MONTREAL. 


MONTREAL.  285 

since  the  Reformation.  It  is  a  chapter  of  Sir  Walter  Scott  come 
to  life. 

We  vividly  discern  the  secret  of  the  hold  which  the  religion 
of  Knox  and  Calvin  had  upon  the  Covenanters  and  their  children ; 
for  we  see  the  kirk  service  performed  in  very  much  of  its  original 
amplitude  and  heartiness.  Only  one  thing  appears  to  be  curtailed, 
and  that  is  the  sermon,  now  reduced  to  a  reasonable  length.  All 
the  rest  appears  unchanged. 

There  is  the  prim,  unpainted,  uncarpeted,  straight-backed,  utterly 
unattractive  and  comfortless  interior,  including  the  high  gallery,  the 
higher  pulpit,  the  sounding-board,  the  elevated  front  seat  for  the 
choir,  and  the  great  square  pews. 

There  is  no  shirking  or  compromise  anywhere:  (i)  singing,  in 
which  every  worshipper  joins  heartily,  standing,  —  from  the  minis- 
ter in  the  pulpit  to  the  little  children  in  the  pew-corners;  (2)  Old 
Testament  reading;  (3)  prayer,  the  congregation  all  standing;  (4) 
singing  again,  every  worshipper  standing ;  (5)  New  Testament  lesson  ; 
(6)  prayer  again;  (7)  singing;  (8)  sermon;  (9)  singing;  (to)  prayer; 
(11)  collection;  (12)  notices  ;  (13)  singing;  (14)  benediction. 

The  most  obvious  difference  between  this  service  and  that  of 
our  churches  is  the  greater  amount  of  bodily  exertion  put  forth  by 
the  whole  congregation.  At  every  singing  and  during  every  prayer 
the  people  all  stand.  The  singing  is  done  with  an  energetic  una- 
nimity rarely  heard  in  our  cushioned  and  carpeted  parlor-churches, 
wherein,  for  the  most  part,  the  congregation  sits  passive,  in  luxuri- 
ous ease,  from  beginning  to  end. 

The  Class  sang  for  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  and 
in  two  of  the  charitable  institutions.  The  boys  here  introduced 
Mackay's  Songs  of  Emigration,  and  rendered  "Cheer,  boys,  cheer," 
and  "To  the  West!  to  the  West!"  with  so  much  spirit  and  feeling 
as  to  win  popular  favor  at  the  Association  rooms,  and  a  concert  was 
asked  for  before   it   was  offered.     The   hall   was   filled   on    the   occa- 


286 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


sion;  the  songs  of  America  were  well  received,  but  the  songs  of  the 
Emigrants  and  the  West  were  demanded  again  and  again. 

Charlie  Noble  was  put  Into  excellent  spirits  by  the  generous  tem- 
per of  the  audience,  and  here  gave  another  illustration  of  the  admir- 
able tact  at  his  command  when  he  was  himself  in  a  happy  mood. 


.M(j\tki;al. 


The  audience  encored  "  Cheer,  l)()ys,  cheer,"  twice.  On  the  sec- 
ond recall  Charlie  brought  uj^cjn  the  platform  an  English  and  an 
American  flag,  and  used  them  ])oth  in  conducting;  clasping  the 
staffs  together  aiul  intermingling  the  ])unting  in  the  stirring  chorus. 
The  act  called   forth   long  and    luarty  applause. 

'1  he    Class    made    an    excinsion    from    Montreal    to    Ottawa,   and 


.</    ''"  \\f/\\ 


;';;;i:;!!'!!i:::iia:iii.;,iLiiL:;;j;!i 


MONTREAL.  2  89 

visited  the  noble  Government  buildings.  The  season,  and  the  little 
interest  taken  in  the  matter  by  those  to  whom  the  subject  was  in- 
troduced, did  not  seem  to  promise  well  for  a  concert,  and  the  Class 
returned  to  Montreal  by  the  railroad  to  Lachine  and  by  steamer 
down  the  Lachine  Rapids.  The  tour  was  the  means  of  adding  to 
their  programme  Tom  Moore's  "  Canadian  Boat-Song,"  and  the  roman- 
tic and  delightful  old  provincial  river  melody,  — 

"  Fringue  !  fringue  sur  la  riviere  ! 
Fringue  !  fringue  sur  I'aviron  !  " 

The  ballad  relates  how  that  the  king's  son  went  hunting  with  a 
silver  gun  ;  how  he  aimed  the  silver  gun  at  a  black  duck,  but  shot 
a  white  one,  out  of  whose  eyes  came  diamonds  and  out  of  whose 
mouth  came  silver.  The  melody  is  peculiarly  charming.  The  story 
and  music  are  alike  mysterious  in  their  origin. 


THE   BELL   OF   CAUGHNAWAGA. 

Nine  miles  above  Montreal,  on  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  is  a  quiet  Indian 
village  where  lives  the  remnant  of  the  old  tribe  of   Caughnawagas. 

The  houses  of  the  village  are  simple,  but  in  their  midst  stands  a  massive 
stone  church,  colored  by  time.  In  the  tower  of  the  church  hang  two  bells. 
One  of  these  has  a  most  remarkable  history. 

Near  the  close  of  the  first  century  of  colonization  Father  Nichols,  a  Cath- 
olic missionary,  induced  the  Christian  Indians  of  the  then  great  nation  of  the 
Caughnawagas  to  put  aside  a  certain  portion  of  their  game  and  furs  for  the 
purpose  of  purchasing  a  bell  for  his  mission  church.  The  Indians  had  never 
seen  or  heard  a  church  bell  ;  but  they  were  generous  in  meeting  the  appeal,  and 
the  bell  was  ordered  from  France. 

The  priest  and  the  contributors  waited  long  and  patiently  for  the  arrival 
of  the  bell,  but  it  did  not  come.  At  length  news  reached  Montreal  that  the 
French  ship  on  which  the  bell  had  been  placed  had  been  captured  by  an  Eng- 
lish cruiser,  and  that  the  bell  had  been  taken  to  the  port  of  Salem,  Massachu- 
setts, and  hung  up  in  the  belfry  of  the  church  at  Deerfield,  near  that  port. 

19 


290 


ZIGZAG  JOURXEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


"^.^Vanr/ireiA-i^^ 


INDIANS    OK     rilK    NOKIII. 


The  Indians   had  looked   for  the  cominf;  of  the  bell  like  the  advent  of  a 
god.     They  were  greatly  disappointed  at  its  capture.     Some  of  them  said, — 
"  Our  warriors  will  one  day  bring  hither  the  bell.      The  bell  is  the  Lord's," 


MONTREAL. 


!9I 


In  1704  the  Marquis  de  Vaudrcuil  planned  a  hostile  expedition  against  the 
New  England  colonies.     He  said  to  Father  Nichols, — 
"  I  must  have  the  aid  of  the  Caughnavvagas." 
"  I  will  lead  them  myself,  but  on  one  condition." 

"Name  it." 


^^Xl^i' 


INDIAN    WARRIOR. 


"That  you  will  recapture  the  bell  in  the  town  of  Deerfield,  and  allow  us  to 
bring  it  to  Caughnawaga." 

"  You  shall  have  your  wish.  I  will  order  the  commander  to  recover  the 
bell." 

Father  Nichols  assembled  the  Indians,  and  preached  to  them  a  crusade  for 
the  rescue  of  the  bell. 

His  words  were  like  fuel  to  a  fire  already  kindled. 


292  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  The  bell !  the  bell !  "  shouted  the  red  crusaders.  The  idol  of  brass  was 
to  them  as  the  Holy  Sepulchre  to  the  Knights  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  they 
were  impatient,  if  not  to  fight  the  battles  of  the  Lord  who  had  forbidden  the 
shedding  of  blood,  at  least  to  fight  in  his  name. 

The  expedition  entered  the  English  colonies  in  midwinter.  It  was  a  long 
and  perilous  march,  and  the  French  troops  suffered  and  complained.  The 
French  soldiers  knew  that  they  were  engaged  merely  in  a  war  of  conquest, 
and   winter  chilled  the   romance  of  such   an   expedition. 

Not  so  with  the  Indian  warriors.  Father  Nichols  uplifted  the  banner  of 
the  Cross,  and  a  convert  bore  it  before  them  through  the  evergreens  and  over 
the  white  wastes  of  snow,  and  they  advanced  on  their  snow-shoes  as  though 
they  had  received  the  commissions  of  Heaven.  Their  watchword  was  "  The 
bell !  the  bell !  " 

On  the  29th  of  February  Deerfield  rose  in  sight  over  the  fields  of  snow,  — 
the  Jerusalem   of  the  red  crusaders. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  ist  of  March,  in  the  midst  of  a  storm  of  high 
wind  and  driving  snow,  the  army  fell  upon  the  town.  The  people  of  Deer- 
field  could  hardly  have  been  more  taken  by  surprise  had  an  army  descended 
from  the  clouds.  An  attack  by  the  French  and  Indians  in  the  winter  was  un- 
looked  for  by  even  the  military  towns  of  the  colonies;  but  Deerfield,  —  what 
could   have   brought   such   an   army  here  .^ 

The  Indians  fell  upon  the  people,  and  a  fearful  slaughter  followed.  The 
snow  was  crimsoned  with  blood.  Forty-seven  persons  were  killed,  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty  were  made  prisoners.  After  the  first  flush  of  the  bar- 
baric triumph,  the  Indian  warriors,  with  their  hands  red  with  gore,  cried,  "The 
bell !  the  bell !  " 

Father  Nichols  led  them  to  the  church,  and  said  to  a  French  soldier,  "  Go 
up  and   ring  it." 

The  bell  rung  out  over  the  reddened  snow  in  the  crystal  air  in  which  the 
storm  of  the  morning  was  clearing. 

The  Indians  listened  witli  awe.  They  dropped  upon  their  knees  and  up- 
lifted their  bloody  hands  in  thanksgiving.  Well,  well,  it  was  strange.  Te 
Dcums  have  been  sung  in  Christian  lands  over  deeds  as  dark  as  this  ;  but 
towering  above  all  such  .scenes  as  these,  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  lives,  and 
will  live  until  all  deeds  of  bhjod  are  remembered  only  as  barbarisms,  however 
they  may  have  been  lauded. 

The  bell  was  placed  on  poles,  and  borne  in  triumph  towards  Montreal. 
Ikit  the  winter  snows  were  yet  deci),  and  March  was  pitiless,  and  I'\'ither  Nichols 


MGATREAL.  295 

allowed  the  bell  to  be  buried  near  the  frontier,  at  a  place  to  which   it  would 
be  safe  to  return  for  it  in  the  late  spring. 

In  the  season  of  the  birds  and  flowers  and  tender  leaves,  Father  Nichols 
again  led  an  expedition  for  the  recovery  of  the  bell.  Canada  awaited  the  return 
of  the  priest  and  his  warriors. 

The  expedition  came  back  in  triumph.  The  Cross  advanced  out  of  the  forest. 
Behind  it  were  two  white  oxen  bearing  the  bell  on  their  yoke.  The  oxen  and 
bell  were  garlanded  with  the  flowers  of  spring. 

The  bell  was  brought  to  Caughnawaga,  and  hung  up  in  the  belfry  of  the 
Mission  Church.  A  festival  of  rejoicing  followed  ;  and  for  years  whenever  the 
music  of  the  bell  was  heard,  the  Indians  dropped  on  their  knees  in  prayer. 

The  bell  still  hangs  in  the  old  tower  above  the  St.  Lawrence.  But  its 
voice  is  not  often  heard,  and  it  long  ago  ceased  to  be  regarded  as  the  voice  of 
a  e:od. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


TORONTO. 


ijORONTO,  the  city  of  Lake  Ontario,  is  one  of  the 
surprises  of  the  century.  Its  history  is  comprised 
in  less  than  a  century,  yet  it  is  a  city  of  domes  and 
spires,  a  city  that  lias  leaped  into  life,  and  is  out- 
stripping the  older  cities  in  enterprise,  progress, 
and  industrial  skill.  The  face  of  Toronto  is 
turned  towards  the  future ;  Montreal  and  Quebec  look  back  towards 
the  past. 

The  lake  harbor  of  Toronto  is  serene  and  beautiful,  and  is  often 
crowded  with  vessels  and  steamers.  Toronto  is  the  Liverpool  of 
the  lake.  On  one  side  of  the  city  flows  the  river  Don,  and  on  the 
other  side  the   H umber. 

Toronto  was  founded  by  Governor  Simcoe,  of  romantic  history. 
The  f'-overnor  built  a  chateau  on  the  Don.  He  was  very  hospitable; 
the  Indians  named  him  "  One-whose-door-is-always-open."  His  son 
was  one  of  those  who  fell  iii  llie  breach  at  Badajos,  Spain.  llis 
monument  may  be  seen  in  tlie  ancient  cathedral  at  T^xeter,  England. 
The  cliateau   is  gone,  and   its  site  is  a  pleasure-ground. 

Th'-  I'>planade,  an  cmlKankment  faced  with  masonry  and  over- 
looking the  lake,  is  the  principal  j^leasure-resort  in  simuuer.  The 
Union  Railway  .Station,  whose  higli  lowers  give  it  at  a  little  distance 
tlie  appearance   of  ;i   (a^tlc,   ri^-'-s   from    iIk'    Ii^splanade. 


TORONTO. 


297 


Happy  Canada! — Canada  felix!  —  such  is  the  name  o-jven  to 
this  grain-growing  region  in  the  West.  Rugged  and  prosperous, 
of  iron  character  and  faith,  proud,  virtuous,  and  loving,  the  people 
form  one  of  those  noble  communities  that  are  the  glory  and  stren^rth 
of  a  countr)'. 


THOUSAND    ISLANDS,  —  ENTRANCE   TO    LAKE    ONTARIO. 


The  French  and  Scottish  families  in  this  rich  agricultural  region 
maintain  their  provincialisms.  The  Scottish  Mac  Nabs  and  other 
Scottish  families  used  to  live  after  the  manners  and  customs  of 
Highland  feudalism,  and  old  Scotland  may  be  found  in  some  of  the 
towns  of  Ontario  to-day. 


298 


ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


The  MacNabs  used  to  visit  Toronto  in  blue  bonnets  and  bright 
plaids.  It  is  related  that  once  when  the  old  chief  of  this  clan  visited 
Kino-ston,  he  registered  his  name  as  "  The  MacNab." 

A  kinsman,  on  registering  his  name,  wrote,  "  The  other  MacNab ! " 
We  do   not  doubt  that  there  were   still  other  MacNabs ;    for   the 
world  is  large,  and  the  people  are  everywhere  to  be  found  as  seen  in 
their  own  imaginations.      How  happy  many  souls  would  be  but  for 
the  other  MacNab! 


i 


^ 


\s^ 


^*|j   ''J 


J'AKLIAMICNT    I!l'ILniN(;S,    OTTAWA. 


The  "  other  MacNab  "  became  famous.  During  the  Canadian 
rebellion,  when  an  army  from  the  forest  towns  marched  against 
Toronto,  he  defeated  the  insurgents  witli  a  force  of  a  thousand 
volunteers. 

The  literary  life  of  Toronto  and  its  connecting  towns  is  among 
the   healthiest  and    best    in    Canada.       Here  lived    the    accomplished 


TORONTO. 


299 


Mrs.  Jameson.  Here  have  lived  some  of  the  most  cultured  French 
and  Scottish  families,  —  political  refugees  whose  philosophy  was  too 
advanced  for  their  times,  and  conservatives  whom  their  times  had 
outgrown.  King's  Street  is  stately  with  public  buildings.  Clubs 
and  societies  abound,  and  exert  a  marked  intellectual  influence. 
Toronto  is  a  university  town,  and  its  colleges  are  noble  buildings 
and  occupy  beautiful  grounds.  There  are  upwards  of  seventy 
churches  in  the  city. 

Ontario,  of  which  Toronto  is  the  capital,  is  very  much  larger  than 
either  Great  Britain  or  Italy.  In  less  than  a  hundred  years  its 
population  has  grown  from  two  thousand  to  two  million   people. 

A  pamphlet  published  in  the  interests  of  English  immigration 
thus  speaks  of  this  great  province,  which  is  destined  to  gather  to 
itself  an  immense  population,  and  perhaps  become  the  most  impor- 
tant part  of  the  British  Empire  of  the  West:  "The  Province  of 
Ontario  is  not  only,  from  its  position,  resources,  and  water-power, 
likely  to  continue  to  be  the  workshop  for  the  manufacturers  of  the 
Dominion,  but  it  possesses  a  climate  superior  to  that  of  any  other 
Canadian  province,  and  not  inferior  to  the  most  favored  climates  in 
America.  It  extends  from  south  to  north  over  a  distance  of  seven 
hundred  miles,  or  from  the  parallel  of  forty-two  degrees  —  that  of 
Rome  —  to  the  parallel  of  fifty-two  degrees  on  James  Bay,  a  latitude 
still  south  of  that  of  Birmingham.  From  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Ottawa  in  the  east  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  in  the  west  it  meas- 
ures a  length  of  nearly  1,100  miles.  The  area  embraced  within  its 
very  irregular  boundaries  is  about  200,000  square  miles,  —  a  territory 
80,000  square  miles  larger  than  the  United  Kingdom,  1,700  square 
miles  larger  than  France,  equal  to  the  combined  areas  of  Holland, 
Belgium,  Switzerland,  Portugal,  and  Italy,  and  only  i  2,000  square  miles 
smaller  than  the  whole  German  Empire."  To  this  immense  territory, 
80,000  square  miles  larger  than  the  United  Kingdom,  England 
has  been  sending  her  overcrowded  population  for  a  number  of  years. 


-OO  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

Here   the    English    emigrant    finds   liimself   no   longer  a  tenant,   but 
the  master  of  his  own  home  and   lands. 

Outside  of  the  great  depot  at  Toronto  the  Class  saw  a  group  of 
emigrants  sitting  on  the  ground,  waiting  for  tlie  making  up  of  a 
train.  Among  them  was  a  little  baby,  lying  on  the  grass  and  smil- 
ins:  in   the  sun. 

"Smile  on  i "  one  might  say;  "you  have  reason  to  smile.  Your 
parents  are  heroic,  and  they  have  brought  you  to  the  land  of  prom- 
ise. For  you  they  came ;  that  their  children  might  have  a  larger, 
freer,  and  more  hopeful  life.  Little  one,  smile  on  !  The  sun  is  set- 
tino-  but  it  is  the  sun  of  the  Western  World." 

The  child  of  the  English  laborer  may  have  hardships,  but  he  can 
stand  at  the  door  of  his  cabin  in  Ontario  and  look  towards  the  future 
with  hope.  Fate  here  has  not  decreed  that  he  shall  be  dependent 
and  poor. 

Eneiand  is  famous  for  the  strikins:  contrast  seen  between  the 
condition  of  its  richest  and  that  of  its  poorest  classes.  A  very  few 
Englishmen,  compared  with  the  population,  own  a  large  portion  of 
the  acres  of  the  island ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  country  swarms  witli 
multitudes  of  people  who  are  desperately  poor  and  who  are  always 
on  the  very  edge  of  beggary. 

The  laws  and  customs  of  England  have  always  tended  to  gather 
the  wealth  of  the  land  into  a  few  great  families.  The  old  law  of  the 
primogeniture,  which  means  the  inlieritance  of  the  whole  estate  by  the 
eldest  son  of  a  family  to  the  exclusion  of  liis  brothers  and  sisters, 
largely  airlcd  in  effecting  this  result;  and  tlie  law  of  entail,  which 
means  the  right  of  a  i)n)pri(tor  to  tie  up  his  estate  for  many  years, 
enabling  him  lo  dictate  his  successors  for  several  generations,  has  still 
further  favored  tlie  accumulation  of  riches  in  the  hands  of  a  few. 

Some  facts  as  to  the  very  rich,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  very 
poor,  on  the  other,  will  show  in  bold  relief  how  startling  is  the 
contrast. 


TORONTO.  301 

Let  us  first  take  some  of  the  rich  men  and  see  how  vast  are  their 
possessions.  One  quarter  of  the  whole  kingxlom  of  Scotland,  for 
instance,  is  owned  by  eight  noblemen.  It  is  said  that  the  Duke  of 
Sutherland  can  ride  from  sunrise  to  sunset  without  seeing  any  land 
but  his  own  out  of  the  carriage  window ;  and  he  has  five  lordly  castles. 
Nearly  the  whole  county  of  East  Sussex  is  included  in  the  estates  of 
two  men,  the  Duke  of  Richmond  and  Lord  Laconfield.  The  young 
Marquis  of  Bute  owns  almost  all  the  flourishing  and  busy  town  of 
Cardiff,  and  many  of  the  coal  mines  in  its  vicinity  ;  his  income  is  over 
a  million  dollars  a  year,  and  his  principal  residence,  Crichton  Mount 
Stuart,  is  so  vast  that  it  recently  cost  the  marquis  nearly  two  millions 
of  dollars  to  put  it  in  repair. 

The  property  of  some  great  noblemen  in  London  is  enormous. 
There  is  the  Duke  of  Westminster,  who  owns  Eaton  and  Belo-rave 
Squares,  two  of  the  finest  and  most  fashionable  squares  in  the  city ; 
besides  many  streets  entirely  composed  of  blocks  of  elegant  and  lux- 
urious houses  in  the  heart  of  Westminster,  where  land  costs  hun- 
dreds of  dollars  a  foot.  Besides  this  immense  London  property,  the 
duke  has  three  noble  castles  in  the  country,  around  which  are  many 
thousands  of  rich  acres  and  beautiful  parks  of  which  he  is  lord  and 
master. 

The  Duke  of  Bedford  also  has  very  large  possessions  in  the  very 
centre  of  London,  including  half  a  dozen  squares,  Covent  Garden 
Theatre  and  Market,  and  long  rows  of  houses  on  main  streets,  like 
the  Strand  and  Great  Russell  Street.  The  Duke  of  Devonshire, 
besides  many  London  houses,  has  eight  castles  and  palaces  in  the 
country,  each  of  which  he  maintains,  with  retinues  of  servants,  all  the 
year  round. 

Let  us  glance  now  at  the  very  poor.  John  Bright  says  there  are 
a  million  paupers  living  on  the  parishes  in  England,  and  another 
million  who  are  all  the  time  on  the  verge  of  beggary. 

The  poor  peasants  in  the  southern  shires,  who  toil  from  earliest 


rQ2  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IX  ACADIA. 

dawn  until  kindly  darkness  comes  to  relieve  them  of  light  and  so  of 
work,  get  only  three  or  four  dollars  a  week,  and  live  in  miserable, 
broken-down,  dirty  huts,  where  the  rain  leaks  in  and  the  cold  blasts 
sweep  through  remorselessly. 

These  peasants  are  often  crowded  six  or  eight  together  in  a  single 
miserable  little  room;  even  the  cheap  blessing  of  pure  water  is  often 
beyond  their  reach,  and  they  live  in  a  state  of  squalor  which  breeds 
disease  and  death.  Many  of  them  seldom  taste  meat  from  one  year's 
end  to  another,  but  live  on  wheaten  cakes  and  potatoes ;  while  the 
children  grow  up  half  clothed  and  half   fed. 

When  these  things  are  known,  it  is  scarcely  to  be  wondered  at 
that  sometimes  the  poor  peasant  grows  sullen  and  rebellious,  and 
begrudges  the  great  lord  near  by  his  splendid  wealth  and  unstinted 
luxury. 

But  England  has  an  empire  large  enough  to  give  every  one  of  her 
poor  families  an  estate.  Her  homestead  and  emigration  laws  are 
most  helpful  and  liberal.  Under  these  circumstances  we  cannot 
wonder  that  so  niany  of  her  subjects  are  turning  their  faces  towards 
the  lands  of  the  setting  sun. 

Toronto,  like  St.  John,  is  a  city  of  American  tendencies  and  sym- 
pathies. LoN'al  to  the  Crown,  she  is  American  in  spirit.  The  boys 
hoped  that  American  songs  might  be  popular  here,  and  that  they 
miirht  here  uive  a  concert  that  would  be  profitable. 

"I  like  Toronto!"  said  Noble  to  Master  Lewis.  "Would  it  not 
be  well  to  advertise  our  concert  under  the  name  of  "  The  Old  Songs 
of  Canada  and  the  States".'' 

"  The  songs  of  Mackay  are  not  old,"  said  Master  Lewis.  "  Mackay 
himself  is  living.  I  think  that  '  The  National  Songs  of  the  States  and 
Canada'  would  be  better.  That  name  would  i)roperly  include  'The 
Canadian  Boat-Son^,'  '  The  Kinii^'s  Son  with  his  Silver  Gun,'  '  Dead 
Man's  Isle,'  and  the  J^nglish  and  Frencli  renderings  of  'God  Save  the 


TORONTO.  303 

"  '  Hail,  Columbia  !  '  "  continued  Master  Lewis,  "  would  be  likely  to 
awaken  old  memories  and  pictures  of  old  associations  here.  Let  me 
tell  you  its  history  more  fully  than  Charlie  has  told  it.  It  is  asso- 
ciated witli  our  nation's  relations  with   France. 

"■  Hail,  Columbia!'  was  written  in  the  summer  of  179S,  at  a  mo- 
ment when  the  United  States  seemed  about  to  be  drawn  into  a  war 
with  France,  their  old  ally  and  friend.  The  American  envoys  sent 
out  by  President  Adams  with  no  other  object  than  to  restore  a 
good  understanding,  were  thought  to  have  been  grossly  insulted  by 
France.  An  army  and  a  navy  were  in  preparation.  General  Wash- 
ington had  accepted  the  chief  command,  with  Alexander  Hamilton 
as  his  second ;  and  nothing  was  thought  of  but  impending  war. 

''  A  vocalist  by  the  name  of  Fox  was  about  to  have  a  benefit  in 
Philadelphia,  and,  owing  to  the  excitement  that  prevailed,  the  pros- 
pect of  a  good  attendance  was  not  encouraging.  His  benefit  was 
announced  for  a  Monday  evening,  and  it  was  only  on  the  Saturday 
previous  that  he  had  an  idea  for  '  drawing  a  house.' 

"  One  of  his  schoolfellows,  Joseph  Hopkinson,  son  of  a  distin- 
guished father,  had  become  himself  a  man  of  note  in  the  intellect- 
ual circles  of  Philadelphia  society.  He  was  Vice-President  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society,  founded  by  Dr.  Franklin  and  pre- 
sided over  by  Thomas  JefTerson.  He  was  President  of  the  Academy 
of  Fine  Arts,  and  somewhat  noted  for  his  poetical  effusions. 

"  The  vocalist,  in  his  extremity,  went  to  his  old  school-friend,  and 
told  him  that  he  had  little  chance  of  a  paying  audience  unless  he 
could  announce  something  new  and  striking  in  the  way  of  a  patri- 
otic song,  —  -3.  piece  that  could  be  sung  by  the  whole  company  to 
an  easy  or  familiar  tune,  like  the  '  President's  March.'  He  added 
that  the  poets  of  the  company  had  been  trying  to  produce  the  re- 
quired song,  but  had  been  unable  to  accomplish  it. 

"'I  will  try  what   I  can  do  for  30u,^  said   Hopkinson. 

"  The    vocalist   called  the    next  afternoon,   when    the  words   were 


334  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

ready  for  him;  and  he  took  them  at  once  to  a  musician,  who  selected 
and  adapted  to  them  an  old  and  easy  air.  On  Monday  morning  the 
song  was  announced  in  the  newspapers,  and  diligently  rehearsed 
upon  the  stage. 

"  A  crowded  house  rewarded  the  efforts  of  the  singer  and  the  poet, 
and  the  song  was  received  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  The  words 
and  music  were  at  once  published,  and  the  piece  was  sung  at  every 
patriotic  gathering  during  that  period  of  excitement. 

"  A  particular  circumstance  added  to  its  popularity,  and  was  per- 
haps the  true  cause  of  its  remaining  for  forty  years  not  merely  the 
favorite  national  song,  but  the  only  composition  that  could  be  fairly 
called  by  that   name. 

"  During  the  first  years  of  the  revolutionary  movement  in  France  — 
from  1789  to  the  execution  of  Louis  XVI.  and  Marie  Antoinette  in 
1793  —  its  progress  was  watched  in  America  with  an  enthusiastic 
approval  of  which  we  can  now  scarcely  form  an  idea.  But  the  exe- 
cution of  the  king  and  queen  checked  the  enthusiasm,  and  soon 
divided  the  country  into  two  parties  on  the  subject, — one  defending, 
the  other  execrating,  the  conduct  of  the  revolutionary  leaders. 

"  At  the  height  of  tlie  first  excitement,  while  even  the  placid  Wash- 
ington was  still  in  sympathy  with  the  people  of  France,  Addison's 
famous  old  tragedy  of  '  Cato  '  was  revived  in  Philadelphia.  The  cur- 
tain rose,  and  the  whole  company  of  actors,  arranged  in  a  semicircle 
upon  the  stage,  sang  the  national  hymn  of  France,'  La  Marseillaise,'  — 
a  new  composition  then.  The  audience  sprang  to  their  feet  and 
joined  in  the  chorus.  The  house  presented  a  scene  of  excitement 
withcnit  previous  parallel    in   the  staid  city  of    Penn  and   iM-anklin. 

"The  audience  called  for  a  repetition  of  the  inspiring  song.  It 
was  given  as  before,  the  people  joining  wildly  in  the  chorus.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  people  could  not  get  enough  of  it.  lu'en  upon 
us,  who  have  been  familiar  with  it  from  childhocKl,  this  wonderful 
song  has  an  effect  unlike  that  of  any  other. 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE. 


p.  iV 


TORONTO. 


307 


"  The  next  evening,  and  every  evening,  as  soon  as  the  musicians 
came  into  the  orchestra,  the  cry  arose  all  over  the  house  for  '  La 
Marseillaise.'  It  was  of  no  use  to  resist,  for  the  people  would  listen 
to  no  other  music.  Generally  the  audience,  or  some  part  of  it,  would 
catch  the  spirit  of  the  piece,  and  thunder  out  the  chorus.  It  grew 
into  a  custom,  and  for  three  or  four  years  the  piece  was  sung  every 
night.  But  as  the  guillotine  in  Paris  quickened  its  activity,  the 
enthusiasm  of  audiences  abated. 

"One  night,  during  the  patriotic  fervor  of  1798,  soon  after  the 
arri\'al  of  ill-news  from  France,  one  man,  upon  hearing  the  usual 
faint  demand  for  the  '  Marseillaise,'  ventured  to  dissent  by  hissing. 
At  once  the  whole  audience  joined  in  one  decisive  and  overwhelming 
hiss.     The  '  Marseillaise  '  was  not  played,  and  was  never  played  again. 

"  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  new  song  of  '  Hail,  Columbia ! '  made 
its  great  success.  Never  was  a  composition  better  timed.  It  imme- 
diately took  the  place  of  the  banished  '  Marseillaise,'  and  continued  to 
be  sung,  as  a  rule,  in  all  the  places  of  amusement  of  the  United  States 
until  about   the  year    1840. 

"  The  introductory  music  was  usually  presented  in  the  following 
order:  an  overture,  followed  by  'Hail,  Columbia!'  played  several 
times,  and  then  '  Yankee   Doodle.' 

"Joseph  Hopkinson  died  at  Philadelphia  in  1842,  aged  seventy- 
two  years.  A  few  months  before  his  death  he  placed  on  record  the 
facts  given  above,  and  added:  — 

"  '  The  object  of  the  author  was  to  get  up  an  Americait  spirit,  which 
should  be  independent  of,  and  above,  the  interest,  passion,  and  policy 
of  both  belligerents,  and  look  and  feel  exclusively  for  our  honor  and 
rights.  No  allusion  is  made  to  France  or  England,  or  the  quarrel 
between  them,  or  to  the  question  which  was  most  in  fault  in  their 
treatment  of  us ;  of  course,  the  song  found  favor  with  both  parties, 
for  both  were  American;  at  least,  neither  could  disown  the  senti- 
ments and  feelings  it  indicated.' 


3o8  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

"  The  following  are  the  words  of  the  song,  as  originally  written  at 
Philadelphia  in   1 798  :  — 

HAIL.   COLUMBIA! 

Hail,  Columbia,  happy  land! 

Hail,  ye  heroes  !   Heaven-born  band  ! 

Who  fought  and  bled  in  Freedom's  cause, 

Who  fought  and  bled  in  Freedom's  cause, 

And  when  the  storm  of  war  was  gone, 

Enjoyed  the  peace  your  valor  won. 

Let  independence  be  your  boast, 

Ever  mindful  what  it  cost ; 

Ever  grateful  for  the  prize, 

Let  its  altar  reach  the  skies. 

Firm,  united,  let  us  be, 

Rallying  round  our  Liberty  ; 

As  a  band  of  brothers  joined, 

Peace  and  safety  we  shall  find. 

Immortal  patriots  !   rise  once  more. 
Defend  our  rights,  defend  our  shore  ; 
Let  no  rude  foe  with  impious  hand, 
Let  no  rude  foe  with  impious  hand, 
Invade  the  shrine  where  sacred  lies 
Of  toil  and  blood  the  well-earned  prize; 
While  offering  peace  sincere  and  just, 
In  Heaven  we  place  a  manly  trust 
That  truth  and  justice  may  prevail, 
And  every  scheme  of  bondage  fail. 
Firm,  united,  let  us  be,  etc. 

Sound,  sound  the  trumj)  of  Fame! 
Let  Washington's  great  name 
King  througli  tlie  world  with  loud  applause. 
Ring  tlirough  the  world  with  loud  applause  ; 
Let  every  clime  to  I'rccdom  dear 
Listen  with  a  joyful  car  ; 
With  c(]ual  skill  and  godlike  power 
He  governs  in  the  fearful  hour 
Of  horrid  war,  or  guides  with  case 
The  hapi)ier  times  of  honest  jjcace. 
Firm,  united,  let  us  be,  etc. 


!',■>  ;\' ' 


k\\      .11     ! 


LOU  Hi    XVI. 


TOKO  A  TO.  311 

Behold  the  Chief  who  now  commands, 
Once  more  to  serve  his  country  stands,  — 
The  rock  on  which  the  storm  will  beat, 
The  rock  on  which  the  storm  will  beat, 
But  armed  in  virtue  firm  and  true  ; 
His  hopes  are  fixed  on  Heaven  and  you. 
When  hope  was  sinking  in  dismay. 
And  gloom  obscured  Columbia's  day, 
His  steady  mind,  from  changes  free, 
Resolved  on  death  or  liberty. 

Firm,  united,  let  us  be,  etc. 

"The  song  became  the  war-note  of  1812,  of  the  battle  of  Lake 
Erie,  and  the  conflicts  on  the  lakes  and  the  British  American 
border." 

A  lively  interest  in  the  concert  was  indicated  as  soon  as  the 
announcement  of  it  was  made  in  the  papers.  Master  Lewis  and 
the  Class  had  personal  interviews  with  several  men  of  the  press,  and 
the  boys  were  asked  to  sing  at  one  of  the  Clubs,  and  did  so;  gaining 
thereby  much  free  advertising  by  way  of  commendation  in  the  local 
journals.  Every  seat  in  the  hall  was  sold  before  the  night  of  the 
concert. 

"  We  shall  not  be  taken  by  surprise  by  coming  to  an  empty  hall 
in  Toronto,"  said  Charlie  Noble. 

"  No,"  said  Master  Lewis  ;  "  but  one  cannot  tell  what  surprises  ma}^ 
happen  to  one  at  an  exhibition.  1  once  knew  a  soloist  who  was  flat- 
tered by  a  large  audience,  but  who  was  so  overcome  by  the  appre- 
ciation that  his  mind  failed  him,  and  he  had  to  stop  in  the  middle 
of  his  principal  song." 

"  There  is  no  danger  of  anything  of  that  kind  happening  to  us," 
said  Charlie. 

"  But  it  might  rain,"  said  Robertson. 

"Suppose  it  should;  we  have  sold  the  seats  and  got  the  money." 

"  Or  there  miorht  be  a  fire  " 

"  But  we  have  got  the  money  now." 

The  night  was  lovely,  and  the  hall  was  crowded  at  an  early  hour. 


312  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

The  hall  had  not  been  used  during  the  summer  season.  There 
was  a  curtain  before  the  platform,  and  Charlie  Noble  thought  it  would 
be  well  to  have  it  raised  just  as  the  Class  began  to  sing  the  first  song, 
which  on  this  occasion  was  to  be,  "  Cheer,  boys,  cheer." 

The  Class  took  their  position  on  the  platform.  It  was  that  of  a 
crew  of  English  sailors.  Charlie  gave  the  signal  to  the  usher  to  raise 
the  curtain,  and  the  Class  began  the  song  lustily  and  heartil}^  — 

"  Clieer,  boys,  cheer,  the  merry  breeze  is  blowing, 
To  waft  lis  softly  o'er  the  ocean  lireast  ; 
The  world  shall  follow  in  the  path  we  're  going,  — 
The  star  of  empire  glitters  in  the  West."' 

At  the  end  of  the  second  line  there  was  a  most  surprising  and  em- 
barrassing hitch  in  the  proceedings.  The  curtain  went  up  about  two 
feet,  and  would  go  no  farther.  The  feet  and  legs  of  the  boys  w^ere 
before  the  eyes  of  the  audience,  but  their  faces  were  in  oblivion.  A 
more  ridiculous  tableau   could  hardly  be  imagined. 

The  usher  tugged  away  at  the  cords  of  the  curtain.  His  efforts 
were  too  spasmodic  under  the  excitement,  and  they  broke.  He  sat 
down   on   the   nearest  seat,   and   wiped  his  face   in   despair. 

The  audience  was  too  well  bred  for  any  coarse  expression  of  ridi- 
cule, but  there  was  a  lauo-h  in  every  one's  face. 

What  would  the  singers  do  .'^ 

In  the  dH,cmiua  the  chorus  rang  out  behind  the  curtain, — 

'■Cheer,  boys,  cheer,  for  countrv.  mollicr  country." 

Not  a  voice  faltered,  and  the  ])()ys'  feet  began  to  move  in  military 
precision  to  tlv  rh\'thm  of  the  cliorus.  The  "boys"  in  the  audi- 
ence bejX'in  to  "cheer"  indeed.  Tht-  sonij  went  on  without  falterinQr; 
the  feet  of  the  boys,  which  were  almost  the  only  objects  in  sight  of 
the  audience,  j(jining   in   the   ringing  choruses. 

At  the  end  of  the  song  the  house  rung  with  apjilause.  The  boys 
were  recalled.      They   returned    with   hrm    stej;,    behind   the   obstinate 


TORONTO.  3  I  3 

and  mysterious  curtain.  They  repeated  the  song,  and  were  again  as 
loudly  applauded. 

There  was  a  broad  space  in  front  of  the  curtain,  for  the  hall  was 
not  a  theatre.  In  the  anteroom  were  a  drum  and  fife  which  the  boys 
had  used  at  a  previous  concert  in  "  Yankee  Doodle,"  and  which  they 
had  brought  for  a  like  use  now,  should  they  have  occasion  to  sing 
this  song  on  a  recall.  . 

The  applause  continued.  The  audience  saw  the  ghostly  feet  dis- 
appear, but  were  presently  surprised  to  hear  the  sound  of  drum  and 
fife,  and  to  see  the  boys  marching  into  the  room  by  a  side  door  to  the 
music  of  "  Yankee  Doodle." 

The  audience  arose.  Men  waved  their  hats,  and  ladies  their  hand- 
kerchiefs, and  the  boys  shouted.  The  Class  marched  coolly  around 
the  hall ;  then  the  boys  mounted  the  platform  in  front  of  the  curtain, 
and,  facing  the  audience,  made  a  very  low  bow. 

The  good-will  and  enthusiasm  of  the  audience  were  completely 
won.  The  boys  found  themselves  in  an  inspiring  atmosphere,  and 
were   now  doubly  eager  to  sing  their  best. 

"  Cheer,  boys,  cheer,"  was  followed  by  the  original  song  cf 
"  Yankee  Doodle,"  to  the  music  of  the  drum  and  fife. 

YANKEE    DOODLE. 

Dad  and  I  went  down  to  camp 

Along  with  Captain  Goodwin, 
Where  we  see  the  men  and  boys 

As  thick  as  \\-x's,\y-piiddiii' . 

There  was  Captain  Washington  . 

Upon  a  strapping  stallion 
A  giving  orders  to  his  men  ; 

I  guess  there  was  a  million. 

And  then  the  feathers  on  his  hat, 

They  looked  so  tarnaly^';/^?, 
I  wanted  peskily  to  get, 

To  give  to  mv  Jemim.a. 


1_|^  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

And  then  they  had  a  sivampiii'  gun 
As  big  as  log  of  maple. 

On  a  deuced  little  cart,  — 
A  load  for  father's  cattle. 


And  every  time  they  fired  it  off 

It  took  a  horn  of  powder: 
It  made  a  noise  like  father's  gun, 

Only  a  nation  louder. 

I  went  as  near  to  it  myself 

As  Jacob's  underpinnin', 
And  father  went  as  near  again,  — 

I  thought  the  deuce  was  in  him. 

Cousin  Simon  grew  so  bold, 

I  thought  he  would  have  cocked  it ; 
It  scared  me  so  I  shrinked  off 

And  hung  by  father's  pocket. 

And  Captain  Davis  had  a  gun. 

He  kind  a  clapped  his  hand  on  't, 
And  stuck  a  crooked  stabbing  iron 

Upon  the  little  end  on  't. 

And  there  I  see  a  pumpkin  shell 

As  big  as  mother's  basin  ; 
And  every  time  they  touched  it  off 

They  scampered  like  the  nation. 

And  there  I  see  a  little  keg, 

Its  head  was  made  of  leather; 
They  knocked  upon  't  with  little  sticks 
'I'd  call  the  folks  together. 

And  then  they 'dy?/t'  away  like  fiin^ 
And  play  on  cant  stalk  fiddles, 

And  some  had  rilihoiis  red  as  blood 
All  wound  around  their  middles. 

The  troopers,  loo,  would  gallop  u|). 
And  fire  right  in  our  faces  ; 

It  scared  me  almost  half  to  death 
Tf)  sec  them  run  sm  li  i.u  es. 


TORONTO.  3  I  5 

Old  Uncle  Sam  came  there  to  change 

Some  pancakes  and  some  onions 
For  "" lasses  cakes,  to  carry  liome 

To  give  to  his  wife  and  young  ones. 

I  see  another  snarl  of  men 

A  diggin'  graves,  they  told  me,— 
So  tarnal  long,  so  tarnal  deep, 

They  'tended  they  should  hold  me. 

They  scared  me  so,  I  hooked  \\.  off. 

Nor  slept,  as  I  remember, 
Nor  turned  about  till  I  got  home. 

Locked  up  in  mother's  chamber. 

The  old  song  was  so  heartily  cheered  that  Charlie  departed  again 
from  the  programme,  and  the  Class  gave  "  The  Battle  of  the  Baltic  " 
for  English  ears,  and  followed  it  with  "  The  King's  Son  with  the  Silver 
Gun  "  for  the  French  :  — 

"  Trois  beaux  canards 

S'en  vont  baignant ! 
Fringue  !  fringue  sur  I'aviron  ! 

Le  fils  du  roi 

S'en  va  chassant. 
Fringue  !  fringue  sur  la  riviere  ! 
Fringue  I  fringue  sur  I'aviron  I  " 

The  concert  was  so  popular  and  successful  that  it  was  repeated 
by  request.  The  profits  of  the  two  concerts  were  large,  and  contrib- 
uted almost  enough  to  meet  the  amount  needed  to  pay  the  expenses  of 
the  excursion  of  the  five  boys  who  needed  such  assistance. 

"  We  have  done  well  this  time,"  said  Charlie  Noble,  on  leaving 
Toronto.  "  If  we  lack  a  few  dollars,  we  will  make  up  the  amount 
when  we  return,  by  giving  concerts  of  Canadian  songs." 

"  Yes,"  said  Master  Lewis,  "  you  have  done  nobly." 

The  boys  collected  many  provincial  French  songs  for  use  at 
home  concerts,  should  they  need  them.  Among  these  were  "  A  la 
claire  Fontaine,"  "  Vive  la  Canadienne,"  "  A  Saint  Malo,"  "  Beau  Port 


i6 


ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


de  Mer,"  "  Va,  va,  va,"  "  P'tit  Bonnet."  But  the  song  that  they  best 
liked  to  sing  together  was  the  following,  similar  to  the  "  King's  Son," 
already  mentioned.  We  give  both  words  and  music,  but  should  ex- 
plain that  the  narrative  part  is  sustained  by  a  single  voice.  It  was 
evidently  written  to  be  sung  on  a  boat, — the  refrain  to  the  motion 
of  the  oars. 


EN    ROULANT   MA   BOULE. 


Voix  seiilc, puis  la  reprise  en  ciiaiir. 
% 


— I — 


--N- 


=*=^ 


--N — 


FIX. 


i 


Ell      roulant        ma   boiile  -  le      roulant, 
-]      I'oix  settle,  reprise  en  clia'itr. 


En       roulant 


bou 


le. 


It 


^^^. 


1=feE3: 


Der 
Voix  settle 


rier'  chez  nous,    y  a  -    t-un       e  -  tang, 


En       roulant       ma       bou  -  le. 


Trois  beau.x  canards      s'en     vont    baignant,     rou    -    li,      roulant,       ma      bou  -  le     roulant 


Derricr'  cliez  nou.s,  y  a-t-un  ctang, 

En  roulant  ma  boule. 
Trois  beaux  canards  s'en  vont  baignant, 
Rouli,  roulant,  ma  boule  roulant. 
En  roulant  ma  boule  roulant, 

ICn  roulant  ma  boule. 

Trois  beaux  canards  s"en  vont  baignant, 

lui  roulant  ma  boule. 
Lc  fds  du  roi  s'en  va  chassant, 
Rouli,  roulani,  ma  l)0ule  roulant, 
F'n  roulant,  (.-tc. 


!,(•  fils  du  roi  s'en  va  cliassant, 

ICn  roulant  ma  boule, 
Atcc  son  grand  fusil  d'argcnt, 
Rouli,  roulant,  ma  boule  roulant, 
V.w  roulant.  etc. 


TORONTO. 

Avec  son  grand  fusil  d'argent, 

En  roulant  ma  boule. 
Visa  le^  noir,  tua  le  blanc, 
Rouli,  roulant,  ma  boule  roulant, 
En  roulant,  etc. 


Visa  le  noir,  tua  le  blanc. 
En  roulant  ma  boule. 
O  fils  du  roi,  tu  es  mdcliant ! 
Rouli,  roulant,  ma  boule  roulant, 
En  roulant,  etc. 


O  fils  du  roi,  tu  es  mediant ! 

En  roulant  ma  boule. 
D'avoir  tue  mon  canard  blanc, 
Rouli,  roulant,  ma  boule  roulant, 
En  roulant,  etc. 


D'avoir  tue  mon  canard  blanc, 

En  roulant  ma  boule. 
Par  dessous  I'aile  il  perd  son  sang, 
Rouli,  roulant,  ma  boule  roulant. 
En  roulant,  etc. 


Par  dessous  I'aile  il  perd  son  sang. 

En  roulant  ma  boule. 
Par  les  yeux  lui  sort'nt  des  diamants, 
Rouli,  roulant,  ma  boule  roulant, 
En  roulant,  etc. 


Par  les  yeux  lui  sort'nt  des  diamants, 

En  roulant  ma  boule. 
Et  par  le  bee  I'or  et  I'argent, 
Rouli,  roulant,  ma  boule  roulant, 
En  roulant,  etc. 


Et  par  le  bee  I'or  et  I'argent, 

En  roulant  ma  boule. 
Toutes  ses  plum's  s'en  vont  au  vent, 
Rouli,  roulant,  ma  boule  roulant. 
En  roulant,  etc. 


^l8  ZIGZAG   JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 

Toutes  ses  plum's  s'en  vont  au  vent, 

En  roulant  ma  boule. 
Trois  dam's  s'en  vont  les  ramassant, 
Rouli,  roulant,  ma  boule  roulant, 
En  roulant,  etc. 


Trois  dam's  s'en  vont  les  ramassant, 

En  roulant  ma  boule. 
C'est  pour  en  faire  un  lit  de  camp, 
Rouli,  roulant,  ma  boule  roulant, 
En  roulant,  etc. 

C'est  pour  en  faire  un  lit  de  camp, 

En  roulant  ma  boule. 
Pour  y  coucher  tous  les  passants. 
Rouli,  roulant,  ma  boule  roulant, 
En  roulant  ma  boule  roulant, 
En  roulant  ma  boule. 


The  Class  returned  with  a  somewhat  inteUigent  view  of  Canadian 
history,  geography,  and  romance,  with  a  real  love  for  England's  great 
province,  and  a  purpose  to  make  a  more  careful  study  of  all  that  per- 
tains to  our  hospitable  neighbors  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  the   Lakes. 

"  Happy  Canada ! "  there  is  a  romance  and  a  brightness  about 
thee  that  the  tourist  can  never  forget ;  and,  better  than  all,  the 
scenery  around  Canadian  homes  is  equalled  by  the  greatness  and  the 
love  of  Canadian   liearts. 

The  southern  empire  of  France  has  gone,  and  a  memory  is  all 
that  remains  of  the  splendid  achievements  of  the  French  pioneers 
on  the  St.  Lawrence  awX  tlu:  Mississippi.  The  Fleur-de-lis  is  a 
ghost  of  the  past.  lUit  the  northern  empire,  under  the  Red  Cross, 
remains  as  of  old;  and  of  no  subjects  of  her  crown  may  England 
be    ])roufler,    than    of    the    hardy,  honest,    fruitful    men   of    the    North. 


TORONTO.  3  I  9 

To  visit  the   Canada   of   to-day  is   to  gain   moral  help,  courage,  and 
strength. 

The  memory  of  a  journey  in  summer  through  the  grand  water- 
ways of  Canada  can  never  be  effaced.  The  mountain-walled  rivers 
and  lakes  are  as  beautiful  to-day  as  when  they  filled  Champlain  with 
wonder,  and  Allouez  pursued  the  solitary  trail  by  the  blue  inland  seas, 
and  Marquette  first  saw  in  the  sand  the  footprints  of  the   Illinois. 

THE    MEiN    OF   THE    NORTH. 

I. 
Fierce  as  its  sunlight,  the  East  may  be  proud 
Of  its  gay  gaudy  hues  and  its  sky  without  cloud  ; 
Mild  as  its  breezes,  the  beautiful  West 
May  smile  like  the  valleys  that  dimple  its  breast ; 
The  South  may  rejoice  in  the  vine  and  the  palm, 
In  its  groves,  where  the  midnight  is  sleepy  with  balm: 

Fair  though  they  be. 

There  's  an  isle  in  the  sea, 
The  home  of  the  brave  and  the  boast  of  the  free  ! 
Hear  it,  ye  lands  !  let  the  shout  echo  forth, — 
The  lords  of  the  world  are  the  Men  of  the  North  ! 

II. 
Cold  though  our  seasons,  and  dull  though  our  skies, 
There  's  a  might  in  our  arms  and  a  fire  in  our  eyes  ; 
Dauntless  and  patient,  to  dare  and  to  do,  — 
Our  watchword  is  "  Duty,"  our  maxim  is  "  Through !" 
Hardship  and  danger  but  nerve  us  the  more 
To  rival  the  deeds  of  the  true  men  of  yore : 

Strong  shall  we  be 

In  our  isle  of  the  sea. 
The  home  of  the  brave  and  the  boast  of  the  free  ! 
Firm  as  the  rock  when  the  storm  flashes  forth, 
We  '11  stand  in  our  courasfe  —  the  Men  of  the  North  ! 


Sunbeams  that  ripen  the  olive  and  vine. 
In  the  face  of  the  slave  and  the  coward  may  shine  ; 
Roses  may  blossom  where  Freedom  decays, 
And  crime  be  a  <rrowth  of  the  sun's  brightest  ravs. 


2 20  ZIGZAG  JOURNEYS  IN  ACADIA. 


Scant  though  the  harvest  we  reap  from  the  soil, 
Yet  Virtue  and  Health  are  the  children  of  Toil : 

Proud  let  us  be 

Of  our  isle  of  the  sea, 
The  home  of  the  brave  and  the  boast  of  the  free  : 
Men  with  true  hearts,  —  let  our  fame  echo  forth,  — 
Oh,  these  are  the  fruit  that  we  grow  in  the  North  ! 


Mack  AY. 


I'niversity  Press:  J«jlni  Wilson  &  Son,  Cambridge. 


CENTRAL  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

University  of  California,  San  Diego 

DATE  DUE 

pecl4«34 

UbCl  7  1984 

i 

a  39 

VCSD  Libr. 

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UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


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